Frederick County

Maryland · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area · 302,883 residents (2025 est.)

FHFA annual index 1976–2025Developmental county indexPermits through August 2026

Frederick County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession

FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties. FHFA describes its county indexes as developmental and subject to revision. The index does not give a dollar value for any home.

Frederick County, Maryland (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area), has an FHFA house price index from 1976. Through 2025 it has risen +842.4%, from 100 to 942.

Over the ten years to 2025 the index rose +68.1% (+5.3% a year), above Maryland at +59.8% and well below the national +85.0%. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area rose +58.0%. The latest one-year change is +0.9%.

The strongest decade was the 1980s (+99.1%); the weakest the 1990s (+15.1%).

After a 2006 peak the index fell −29.9% to 2012 and regained the peak in 2022.

Builders were authorised for 1,074 housing units in the county in the 12 months to August 2026 (−14.7% on the previous 12 months), 3.5 units per 1,000 residents; 84% were single-family houses. Since 1995 the county has authorised 51,483 units, most in 2021.

+0.9%1 year, 2024–2025Maryland +2.7%

+44.7%5 yearsUS +47.0%

+68.1%10 years+5.3% a year annualised

+168.1%since 2000US +158.3%

1,074units permitted, 12 months3.5 per 1,000 residents

Same span, four levels

Change in the FHFA index	Frederick County	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area	Maryland	United States
1 year (2024–2025)	+0.9%	+2.1%	+2.7%	+2.8%
5 years (2020–2025)	+44.7%	+35.5%	+39.5%	+47.0%
10 years (2015–2025)	+68.1%	+58.0%	+59.8%	+85.0%
20 years (2005–2025)	+42.1%	+49.9%	+45.8%	+79.1%
Since 2000	+168.1%	+199.9%	+168.0%	+158.3%
Since 1976	+842.4%	+994.6%	+817.3%	+880.8%
10-year annualised	+5.3%	+4.7%	+4.8%	+6.3%
20-year annualised	+1.8%	+2.0%	+1.9%	+3.0%

All columns are FHFA annual all-transactions indexes over the same years.

Decade by decade

Decade	Change	United States
1980s (1980–1990)	+99.1%	+68.2%
1990s (1990–2000)	+15.1%	+33.9%
2000s (2000–2010)	+53.7%	+29.7%
2010s (2010–2020)	+20.6%	+35.5%
2020s so far (2020–2025)	+44.7%	+47.0%

FHFA reports each index with a value of 100 in its base period, the first year the area has enough transactions (1976 here). A decade's change is the index at the end of the decade divided by the index at the start, so it does not depend on the base year; the United States column covers the same years. Decades before 1976 are not shown.

Peak-to-low declines

Peak	Low	Decline	Peak regained
2006	2012	−29.9%	2022

Building permits

Housing units authorised by building permits in Frederick County, by month over the latest five years and by year since 1995.

Housing units authorised in Frederick County by month, latest 12 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Frederick County by month, latest 60 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings

Housing units authorised in Frederick County by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings

Permits, 12 months to August 2026	Frederick County	Maryland	United States
Housing units authorised	1,074	13,400	1,418,086
Units per 1,000 residents	3.5	2.1	4.1
Single-family share	84%	62%	63%
Change on previous 12 months	−14.7%	−8.3%	−0.1%
Units authorised since 1995	51,483	650,754	43,082,761

Population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate. Permits authorise construction; they are not completions.

ZIP codes in Frederick County

Ranked by ten-year change in the FHFA ZIP index. Where a ZIP's index ends before 2025, its spans end in that year.

ZIP	1 year	10 years	Since 2000	Index through	Years
21716	+1.3%	+92.0%	+201.1%	2025	38
21758	+19.5%	+89.3%	+166.5%	2025	37
21701	−0.2%	+76.7%	+196.6%	2025	47
21774	+6.8%	+75.8%	+215.1%	2025	33
21703	+2.5%	+72.9%	+172.9%	2025	47
21702	+0.5%	+71.8%	+167.2%	2025	47
21791	+0.7%	+71.5%	+154.4%	2025	40
21770	+2.7%	+68.6%	+165.6%	2025	40
21798	+12.8%	+67.7%	+159.5%	2025	34
21777	+0.8%	+66.5%	+160.9%	2025	34
21754	+1.7%	+65.7%	+168.8%	2025	40
21793	−0.5%	+65.3%	+166.1%	2025	47
21727	+0.3%	+62.6%	+139.3%	2025	34
21788	−0.9%	+62.4%	+146.8%	2025	40
21704	+2.6%	+61.8%	+152.4%	2025	40
21771	+2.6%	+61.0%	+173.0%	2025	47
21769	−1.1%	+60.5%	+158.9%	2025	46
21755	−3.5%	+59.8%	+148.2%	2025	40
21780	—	+57.9%	+140.7%	2025	27
21773	+2.4%	+57.6%	+146.6%	2025	37
21710	−9.2%	+49.5%	+143.8%	2025	40
21778	+6.8%	+44.2%	—	2021	20

Cities and permit-issuing places in Frederick County

Housing units authorised in the 12 months to August 2026; places with at least 12 units in the year, or in the year before.

Place	Units, 12 months	Per 1,000 residents	Single-family
Frederick	548	6.0	78%
Frederick County Unincorporated Area	526	—	90%

Questions and answers

How much have home values in Frederick County risen over 10 years?

The FHFA index for Frederick County rose +68.1% from 2015 to 2025, about +5.3% a year. Over 20 years: +42.1%; since 2000: +168.1%.

How does Frederick County compare with Maryland and the United States?

Over the ten years to 2025: Frederick County +68.1%, Maryland +59.8%, United States +85.0%, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV +58.0%.

What happened to Frederick County prices in 2008?

The index peaked in 2006 and fell −29.9% to 2012; it passed the peak again in 2022. The state index fell −25.7% over 2007–2012.

How many homes are being built in Frederick County?

1,074 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026 (906 single-family, 168 in buildings of five or more units), or 3.5 per 1,000 residents against 2.1 for Maryland.

Where does this data come from?

The index is FHFA's annual county house price index (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, with values through 2025. Permits are from the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey through August 2026; population is the Census Bureau's vintage 2025 estimate.

Provenance

Index: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual house price index for counties (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, values 1976–2025; metro, state and national comparisons from FHFA's annual indexes in the same release. Permits: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, county and place files, through August 2026. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates. ZIP assignment: 2020 ZCTA-to-county relationship file. Public domain throughout. Corrections · FHFA HPI datasets · Building Permits Survey.