Silver Spring & Montgomery County, MD
Ascension’s Locale: Silver Spring and Montgomery County
Silver Spring, Maryland is a large (10 zip codes!) unincorporated area of Montgomery County. Ascension is located in the heart of Silver Spring – Downtown Silver Spring (DTSS). Bordering Washington, D.C. to the south, DTSS is a lively and diverse community that shares urban as well as suburban characteristics. In the immediate area are a number of grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail outlets, including two weekly Farmer’s Markets. The neighborhood also has a library, schools, theaters, and concert venues, and Sligo Creek Park is popular for its hiking and biking trails and golf course. In addition, a Metro and MARC train station connects residents to the region at large by rail and bus. Montgomery County (“MoCo”) sponsors many free festivals, fairs, and parades celebrating holidays and honoring various groups throughout the year and the Agricultural Fair with its rabbits, chickens, cows, carnival rides, and funnel cakes is an annual staple.
The photo at the top of this page shows the beloved 100-foot “Penguin Rush Hour” mural created by artist Sally Callmer in 1990. and displayed at the Silver Spring Metro Station. While the Acorn (found at the famed “silver spring”) is the official “mascot” of Silver Spring, the penguin is certainly the unofficial mascot. All of these features contributed to Silver Spring being named the “#1 Best Place to Live for Families” in 2024 by Fortune Magazine, out of 2,000 places considered. To see what DTSS has to offer, check here.
Demographics
Silver Spring is younger and more diverse than the nation overall. The median age is about 35–37 years, compared with a U.S. median age of 39.2 years. Racial and ethnic diversity is one of Silver Spring’s defining features, with no single group holding a majority: roughly 33% of residents identify as White, about 29% as Black or African American, and about 25% as Hispanic or Latino. Nationally, by contrast, the population is majority White, with Black or African American residents making up about 14% of the total and Hispanic or Latino residents making up about 20%.
About 34% of Silver Spring residents are foreign-born, more than double the national share, contributing to a multilingual and multicultural environment. This is reflected in the elementary school across the street, which hosts children from homes where over 30 foreign language are spoken. A particularly notable immigrant group is the Ethiopian community, which has had a visible impact on Silver Spring’s commercial corridors, cultural life, and restaurants. Thus, Silver Spring functions as a center of African diaspora entrepreneurship and social networks. Ascension has hosted an Ethiopian worshiping community for several years for Sunday afternoon services in the Parish Hall.
In terms of age and ethnicity, our parish survey (with 107 participants out of roughly 140 Sunday attendees), reveals notable departures from local demographics. Not surprisingly, we are older than our neighbors, with 72% of respondents 55 or older; and whiter, with 77% of respondents identifying as White. Of the respondents, 9.5% identified as Black/African American or Afro Caribbean, 2.11% as Asian/Asian American, and 1.1% as Hispanic or Latino. Further analysis of the survey data will be valuable for the Vestry and our new rector because, for example, while only 18% of respondents were between the ages of 25 and 44, 27.4% of respondents reported having children under age 16.
Economics
Silver Spring is more affluent than the United States overall, though it also faces higher costs of living, particularly reflected in housing expenses. Median household income in Silver Spring exceeds $100,000, compared with a national median of about $81,600. Poverty rates in Silver Spring are slightly lower than those of the country as a whole, at around 10–11% compared with about 12% nationally. These figures reflect strong labor force participation tied to government, professional, and service-sector employment, though income inequality persists within the community, and recent job cuts at the federal level have impacted livelihoods in our parish and beyond.
Housing
Ascension’s immediate neighborhood – what would once have been called the “parish boundaries” – has a long-standing mix of single-family homes and apartments, some of which are rent-stabilized or -subsidized. Our neighborhood is also experiencing increased housing density, including new units for persons with special needs and additional market- and below-market apartment offerings. Homeownership in Silver Spring is considerably lower than the national average: only about 38% of housing units are owner-occupied, compared with roughly 65% nationwide, and the national urban average homeownership rate of 50.4%. The median value of owner-occupied homes in Silver Spring exceeds $600,000, significantly over the U.S. median of $360,600.\
Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the public school district of Montgomery County, Maryland. With 211 schools, it is the largest school district in the state of Maryland and is consistently at the top of statewide rankings and in the upper-middle tier of national rankings . For the 2024-25 school year, the district had about 159,671 students taught by about 13,994 teachers, 86.4 percent of whom had a master’s degree or equivalent. MCPS receives nearly half of Montgomery County’s budget—47.3% in fiscal year 2026.
In summary, Silver Spring’s makeup differs from that of the country overall in ways that highlight its metropolitan character. It is younger, more diverse, more immigrant-rich, and more expensive than the nation as a whole. These contrasts illustrate how local demographic and economic patterns can diverge significantly from national averages while remaining shaped by broader trends in the United States.
