North East, Maryland

Town in Cecil County · population 4,085 (2020 Census)

Median home: $292,300
Household income: $91,603
Jan low / Jul high: 25° / 89°
Snow a year: 18 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 17
Median age: 40.5

North East is a town of 4,085 people in Cecil County, Maryland. The median home is worth $292,300, below the typical Maryland town ($412,300). It ranks better for a vacation home than 96% of Maryland towns, more seaside character than 84% of Maryland towns.

North East in our rankings:

How North East ranks

Percentile among Maryland towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maryland towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in North East is worth $292,300, below the typical Maryland town ($412,300). Homes cost about 3.2 times the median household income of $91,603, which is more affordable than 83% of Maryland towns. Median rent is $1,329 a month. 62.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maryland towns with 500+ people.

Housing	North East	Typical Maryland town
Median home value	$292,300	$412,300
Median rent	$1,329	$1,748
Median household income	$91,603	$108,677
Home value ÷ income	3.2×	3.8×
Homeownership	62.3%	77.3%
Median year built	2002	1980
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in North East

People	North East	Typical Maryland town
Median age	40.5	40.2
Age 65 and over	13.6%	16.4%
Under 18	17.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.8%	39.4%
Below the poverty line	7.5%	7.1%
Veterans	7.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	3.4%	—
Work from home	18.4%	17.4%
Average commute	28.1 min	31.4 min
Homes with broadband	86.6%	94.3%

Weather in North East

July highs average 88.6°F and January lows 25.1°F. About 47.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 17.6 inches of snow (typical Maryland town: 15.9 in). Expect about 33 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 97 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Newark Ag Farm station (11.2 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

17 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of North East since 1950, compared with 18 for the typical Maryland town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on August 4, 2020 about 9.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on April 1, 2023.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 20 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on June 24, 1985.

Severe weather in Cecil County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Cecil County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Cecil County has been included in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3634: Severe Winter Storm
March 26, 2020	Biological	DR-4491: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3430: Covid-19
March 4, 2016	Snowstorm	DR-4261: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
November 20, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4091: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Cecil County

Cecil County had 36,713 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $63,481 a year. Unemployment was 2.2% in 2023; in North East itself the ACS puts it at 5.7%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in North East

5 public schools with 4,021 students, about 15.2 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
North East High	9-12	1,097	15.0
Rising Sun High	9-12	1,088	16.0
North East Middle	6-8	754	13.7
North East Elementary	PK-5	592	15.2
Bay View Elementary	PK-5	490	16.3

Towns near North East

Elkton, MD
6.4 mi · 15,807 people · home $293,400
Perryville, MD
7.0 mi · 4,391 people · home $295,200
Rising Sun, MD
9.0 mi · 2,740 people · home $309,100
Havre de Grace, MD
10.1 mi · 14,807 people · home $392,900
West Nottingham, PA
10.3 mi · 2,764 people · home $281,900
Glasgow, DE
10.4 mi · 15,288 people · home $373,900
East Nottingham, PA
10.6 mi · 8,982 people · home $412,500
Newark, DE
10.9 mi · 30,601 people · home $382,500

North East questions

Is North East, Maryland a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, North East scores better for retirees than 19% of Maryland towns and quieter than 53%. 13.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 40.5).

How much does a house cost in North East?

The median owner-occupied home in North East is valued at $292,300 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $91,603, so homes cost about 3.2 times income. Median rent is $1,329 a month.

What is the weather like in North East?

July highs average 88.6°F and January lows 25.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 47.0 inches of precipitation a year and 17.6 inches of snow.

Does North East get tornadoes?

17 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of North East since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on August 4, 2020. The typical Maryland town has had 18.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to North East's Census boundary (GEOID 2456450). Comparisons use the median of Maryland towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.