Montgomery County continues to be recognized as a desirable place to live, with 84 percent of respondents rating the County as “excellent” or “good,” according to the latest National Community Survey results.  

The independent survey on the “livability” of Montgomery County was commissioned by County government and was conducted between Aug. 19 and Sept. 30, 2024. A representative sample of 761 people was surveyed, and the results reflect residents’ overall perceptions toward Montgomery County with a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.  This survey was last conducted in 2021.   

“These results confirm what many of us already know—Montgomery County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” said County Executive Marc Elrich.  “People value our communities, our amenities and our services. But the survey also underscores areas where we need to do better, like housing affordability. We will continue to focus on our challenges and look for opportunities that will ensure that Montgomery County remains a place where people want to stay and put down roots.” 

The survey was conducted by the Boulder, Colorado-based Polco/National Research Center, which conducts hundreds of similar surveys for jurisdictions of all sizes around the nation. The center administered the County’s 2007, 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2021 surveys. Service was interrupted between the 2009 and 2017 surveys due to budget constraints brought on by the Great Recession.  

The survey was available in the County's seven most commonly spoken languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, French, Vietnamese and Amharic.

Click here to view the full results of the survey.  

Overall survey highlights include:    

• 84 percent of respondents consider Montgomery County as excellent or good when asked about the County as a place to live. 

• 74 percent of respondents consider Montgomery County as excellent or good when asked about the County’s overall quality of life. 

• 84 percent of respondents said that they are very or somewhat likely to recommend living in Montgomery County. 

• 84 percent of respondents said that they are very or somewhat likely to stay in Montgomery County for the next five years. 

• 76 percent of respondents feel that the overall image and reputation of Montgomery County is excellent or good. 

• 72 percent of respondents rated the quality of services of Montgomery County government excellent or good.   

Survey results focusing on the Montgomery County economy:  

• 69 percent of respondents rated the County’s overall economic health as excellent or good. 

• 77 percent of respondents positively rated the overall quality of business and service establishments. 

• 70 percent positively rated the vibrancy of downtown and commercial areas. 

• 59 percent positively rated employment opportunities. 

• 74 percent positively rated shopping opportunities. 

• 77 percent of respondents ranked the County highly (excellent or good) as a place to work. 

• 75 percent of respondents indicated that business growth has stayed about the same or gotten better. 

• 69 percent of respondents are happy with the overall economic health of the County. 

• 65 percent find Montgomery County as a good place to visit. 

• 70 percent positively rate the vibrancy of downtown commercial areas.    

Survey results about the quality of life: 

• 93 percent of residents surveyed responded that quality of life opportunities, including recreation, libraries, arts and culture, have stayed about the same or gotten better over the past two years. 

• 83 percent find that equity has stayed about the same or gotten better since 2022.  

• 88 percent of respondents gave positive ratings to public library services.  

• 77 percent positively rated overall opportunities for education, culture, and the arts. 

• 65 percent favorably rated adult educational opportunities. 

• 70 percent positively rated community support for the arts. 

• 71 percent positively rated opportunities to attend cultural, arts and music activities.

• Positive marks for valuing/respecting residents from diverse backgrounds increased by five percentage points as compared to the 2021 survey.   

Survey results about public safety:  

• 68 percent of survey respondents rated the overall feeling of safety positively. 

• 87 and 90 percent of respondents rated fire services and ambulance/EMS services positively.   

• 69 percent rated police services positively. 

• 71 percent have a favorable opinion of animal control.  

Survey results that are areas for improvement: 

• 16 percent of survey respondents rated the County’s cost of living as good or excellent. The responses reflect an ongoing challenge that the County, region and country face regarding affordable housing and the cost of living.   

• 68 percent of respondents said they had an overall excellent or good feeling of safety down from 77 percent in 2021 and 84 percent in 2019. However, nine in ten respondents reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods during the day and 82 percent said they feel safe during the day in the downtown and commercial areas.    

The 2024 biannual resident survey was conducted through mail outreach to 6,000 randomly selected County households. The data collection period ran from Aug. 19 through Sep. 30, 2024, and the response rate was 13 percent.   

In addition to the random-sample survey, to ensure inclusivity and openness, the County issued the same survey to any County resident who wished to take it. The “opt in” open participation survey period began Sep. 12, 2024, and ran for three weeks. These responses are included in the final report and are treated as a separate dataset.   

Click here to see the 2024 survey report in detail, as well as the 2007, 2009, 2017, 2019 and 2021 surveys. 

# # #