Montgomery County, Maryland

Living in Potomac, MD

Among Montgomery County's 16 largest communities, Potomac has the highest rents ($2,887), the most single-family houses (71% detached) and the second-highest home values ($1.16M). With about 47,000 residents, it's Montgomery County's 9th-largest community. Below: prices, housing and getting around, and how Fred works here.

Get the Potomac market report Plan a tour

Median home value: $1.16M; Census, 2020–2024
Median rent: $2,887; per month
Own their home: 85%; of households
Nearest Metro: 4.9 mi; Grosvenor-Strathmore

Local work

Fred in Potomac.

“He knows every single neighborhood like the back of his hands, and he really knows how to analyze deals — even though we had a really complicated situation.”

Davit Avagyan · Buyer, Potomac

At a glance

Homes, prices & getting around.

The median home in Potomac is valued at $1.16M, above the Montgomery County median of $640K — the 2nd highest of the 16 Montgomery County communities compared on this site. Median rent is $2,887 a month (county: $2,068).

Housing here is mostly single-family houses — 71% of homes are detached. Most homes are owner-occupied (85%, against 65% across Montgomery County). The typical home was built in 1977, about the same as the Montgomery County median of 1980.

Potomac has no Metro station of its own; the closest is Grosvenor-Strathmore (Red Line), about 4.9 miles away. MARC commuter trains stop at Rockville, about 5.6 miles away. About 38% of workers here work from home.

Homes by type of building

Detached houses 71%
Townhouses 14%
2–9 unit buildings 2%
10+ unit buildings 13%

Residents: 47,018; 2020 Census
Homes: 17,197; 2020 Census
Typical home built: 1977; median year
Avg. commute: 30 min; one way
Transit commuters: 2%; of workers
Work from home: 38%; of workers
Price-to-rent: 33; Montgomery County: 26

Straight-line distance to major job centers

Bethesda / NIH: 5 mi
Tysons: 7 mi
Downtown D.C.: 12 mi
Dulles Airport: 15 mi
Fort Meade: 25 mi
Downtown Baltimore: 37 mi

As the crow flies from the community's Census center point; drive times vary with traffic — Fred can map your real commute.

Questions

Living in Potomac: common questions.

Is Potomac a city? What county is it in?

No — Potomac is an unincorporated community (a Census-designated place) in Montgomery County, Maryland. It has no city government of its own; Montgomery County provides local services, and the mailing-address “Potomac” area can be larger than the Census boundary.

What is the median home value in Potomac?

$1.16M, based on owners' own estimates in the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey, compared with $640K across Montgomery County. These figures trail today's prices — request a valuation or a current Potomac market report for recent sales.

Do more people rent or own in Potomac?

85% of households own their home and 15% rent (ACS 2020–2024), compared with 65% owners across Montgomery County. Fred can run the rent-versus-buy numbers for a specific Potomac home.

How far is Potomac from downtown D.C.?

Potomac is about 12 miles from downtown D.C. and about 37 miles from downtown Baltimore in a straight line. The average one-way commute from here is 30 minutes.

Which schools serve Potomac?

Public schools are assigned by home address. Potomac is served by Montgomery County Public Schools; check the district's boundary tools for any specific address, and see school-level results on the Maryland Report Card.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Potomac?

A rough guide is the price-to-rent ratio — the median home value divided by a year of median rent. Here it's about 33 (Montgomery County: 26); the higher it is, the more renting tends to win on monthly cost. It's only a starting point — taxes, rates and how long you'll stay matter more. Fred runs the real numbers for specific homes.

Are there first-time buyer programs for Potomac?

Yes: Maryland Mortgage Program — the state's down-payment assistance and first-time buyer loans; Montgomery County housing programs (DHCA) — including the county's Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program. Eligibility and limits change, so confirm with a participating lender — Fred can introduce one.

Is Potomac the same as North Potomac?

No. Potomac and North Potomac are separate communities in the Census Bureau's records — see the North Potomac page for its own numbers. Mailing addresses often cross these lines, so Fred checks the exact location of any home you're considering.

Can Fred help me buy or sell in Potomac?

Yes. Fred Mohseni is a Realtor® licensed in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. with The ONE Street Company at Samson Properties. Call (202) 704-5931 or send a note.

How Fred helps

Your Potomac real estate agent.

Whether you're buying, selling, investing or relocating in Potomac, you work directly with Fred — a Realtor® licensed in Maryland, Virginia and D.C., with an accountant's eye for the numbers.

Buying

Tours, offers and negotiation in Potomac, with a patient, jargon-free guide from pre-approval to closing day.

Selling

Pricing from recent Potomac sales, then preparation and marketing for the strongest possible offer.

Investing

Rent-versus-own math, cash-flow analysis and neighborhood selection from an accounting and finance background.

Relocating

New to the area? Fred compares Potomac with nearby towns and runs remote tours before you arrive.

Nearby

Potomac and its neighbors.

The closest places on this site, across county and state lines. North Bethesda is about 4.3 miles away, Bethesda is about 4.4 miles away, McLean is about 4.8 miles away.

Community	Population	Median home value	Median rent	Own their home	Typical home	Avg. commute
Potomac	47,018	$1.16M	$2,887	85%	Single-family	30 min
North Bethesda	50,094	$732K	$2,191	50%	Condos & apartments	30 min
Bethesda	68,056	$1.17M	$2,469	64%	Mostly houses	28 min
McLean, VA	50,773	$1.41M	$3,422	86%	Single-family	28 min
Rockville	67,117	$682K	$2,274	53%	Mostly houses	31 min
North Potomac	23,790	$826K	$2,413	83%	Single-family	32 min
Tysons, VA	26,374	$640K	$2,497	34%	Condos & apartments	27 min

ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates. * = wide margin of error. “Typical home” is the most common kind of building. On smaller screens some columns are hidden; open on a laptop for population, home type and commute.

Next step

Thinking about Potomac?

Ask Fred for a current Potomac market report — recent sales, what's listed and what it means for your budget. Or call (202) 704-5931.

Request the Potomac market report Compare Montgomery County

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates; D.C. Office of Planning neighborhood clusters and regional rail stations (D.C. GIS). Home values are owners' own estimates averaged over 2020–2024, so they trail today's prices. This product uses Census Bureau data but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau. Data updated November 2026.