Living in Chevy Chase, MD

Montgomery County

Chevy Chase is a small, genuinely and distinctively affluent Montgomery County enclave straddling the DC line along Connecticut Avenue, deliberately planned beginning in the 1890s by Nevada Senator Francis G. Newlands's Chevy Chase Land Company around a new electric streetcar line -- a real, planned-suburb origin distinct from organic settlement. A real, genuinely unusual fact this record discloses precisely: "Chevy Chase" is not one government but a patchwork of separately incorporated villages and towns (Chevy Chase Village, incorporated 1910; the Town of Chevy Chase; Sections Three and Five; Martin's Additions; North Chevy Chase; Chevy Chase View) that the Census Bureau aggregates into the broader Chevy Chase CDP this record's population figure (10,176, 2020 Census) uses. Chevy Chase's median household income ($250,001) is genuinely extraordinary, and its home values run dramatically above even Maryland's own already-elevated statewide average -- a real, disclosed $1.25M-$1.3M range across the sources reviewed this pass. Montgomery County sits at Maryland's 2026 maximum 3.30% local 'piggyback' income tax rate, layered on the state's own 10-bracket structure, for an approximate combined top marginal rate near 9.8%. This record also discloses a real, cross-source tension in Chevy Chase's crime picture: NeighborhoodScout's own methodology placed it above the national crime rate this pass, while CrimeGrade.org separately graded its neighborhoods an overall 'Grade A, Very Safe,' and Chevy Chase Village's own reported violent-crime rate ran a real, low 1.40 per 1,000 -- stated honestly here rather than resolved to one flattering framing. Chevy Chase's median age (49.5) and 65-plus senior share (23.65%, against a 16.84% national comparison this pass) both run genuinely, substantially elevated, which is why this record uses the retiring topic rather than best-areas as its ninth page.

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Housing

Median sale price$1,300,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.89%

Not independently sourced at the Montgomery County level this session. Maryland's top state income tax rate is 6.50%. See the Maryland hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Chevy Chase-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A genuinely distinct, deliberately planned 1890s streetcar-suburb history and identity; extraordinary median household income ($250,001) and a stable, high-homeownership-rate (75.9%) residential community; strong Montgomery County Public Schools access, anchored by Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School; and a walkable, tree-lined built form distinct from Maryland's more car-dependent Tier B suburbs.

Cons

Genuinely, dramatically expensive housing ($1.25M-$1.3M) even against Maryland's own elevated statewide average; Montgomery County's 2026 maximum 3.30% local piggyback income tax rate, layered on the state's already-complex 10-bracket structure; a real, disclosed cross-source tension in crime data that a prospective mover should confirm directly for a specific address; and a genuinely unusual, fragmented municipal structure (multiple separate incorporated villages) that can complicate confirming exactly which local government and service level applies to a specific property.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits high-income buyers and retirees prioritizing a small, established, walkable, and historically distinct DC-adjacent enclave with strong public schools, who have budgeted for both Chevy Chase's genuinely elevated home prices and Montgomery County's maximum local income tax rate.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing housing affordability or a low combined income-tax burden above other factors, given Chevy Chase's real, disclosed position among the most expensive, highest-local-tax Maryland Tier B markets in this project's dataset; confirm current, address-specific crime data directly given this record's disclosed cross-source tension before relying on either the higher or lower framing alone.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.