Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Halethorpe, MD?

Comfortably affordable — rent takes 24.5% of gross income.

Halethorpe rent: July 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (Maryland state estimate).

Halethorpe median rent
$1,702/mo
Police Officer salary (Maryland)
$83,452/yr
Rent as % of income
24.5%
Gross monthly income works out to about $6,954, and the 30% rule supports up to $2,086/mo in rent. Halethorpe's median rent of $1,702 leaves roughly $384/mo of headroom under that threshold. A police officer works roughly 42.4 hours a month to cover that rent.

About rent and a police officer salary

The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.

Cheaper rent nearby

These Maryland cities have lower median rent than Halethorpe, which improves the affordability math on a police officer salary:

Robinwood, MD
$1,701/mo (24.5% of income)
Lexington Park, MD
$1,700/mo (24.4% of income)
Greater Landover, MD
$1,700/mo (24.4% of income)

Compare with full rent data for Halethorpe

View full rent data for Halethorpe, MD

Frequently asked questions

Can a police officer afford rent in Halethorpe, MD?

Median rent in Halethorpe is $1,702 a month. A typical police officer in Maryland earns about $83,452 a year, which makes that rent 24.5% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.

How much rent can a police officer afford in Halethorpe?

Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in Maryland (~$83,452/yr) supports up to $2,086 a month in rent. Halethorpe's current median rent is $1,702/mo, which leaves a $384/mo buffer.

How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Halethorpe?

At an hourly equivalent of about $40 an hour, a police officer in Maryland works roughly 42.4 hours a month to cover Halethorpe's median rent of $1,702.

Where is rent cheaper than Halethorpe for a police officer?

Nearby Maryland cities with lower median rent include Robinwood ($1,701/mo), Lexington Park ($1,700/mo), Greater Landover ($1,700/mo). Each shifts the affordability math materially on a police officer salary.

Methodology: Salary uses the BLS-derived Maryland state estimate from OEWS May 2024. Rent is the most recent ZORI monthly value for Halethorpe, MD. Affordability applies the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income). Real take-home varies with taxes, household composition, overtime, tips, and benefits.