A large majority of Gaithersburg residents surveyed say the city is a good place to live, while traffic, street maintenance, public safety and affordable housing emerged as priorities for the future, according to the results of the City of Gaithersburg’s 2026 Community Survey.
In the random survey of city residents, 84% of respondents described Gaithersburg as an “excellent” or “good” place to live. Among the highest-rated areas were the quality of City services, openness and acceptance toward people of diverse backgrounds, and the overall quality of neighborhoods. Residents also gave positive marks to Gaithersburg’s natural environment, City events, image and reputation, and overall appearance.
The City also received strong ratings for several of its major services. Parks and recreation programs and facilities and recycling, yard waste and bulk pickup collection received the highest marks. City buildings and facilities, customer service, street and infrastructure maintenance, and police services also received favorable ratings.
Overall, Gaithersburg rated above the U.S. average in 50 of the 54 areas measured in the survey. According to the City, satisfaction with the overall quality of City services was 35% above the U.S. average, while satisfaction with customer service was also 35% above the national average.
“We are proud to see that our residents hold such positive perceptions of Gaithersburg,” Mayor Jud Ashman said. “These results reaffirm that our community recognizes and values our ongoing efforts to ensure Gaithersburg remains welcoming and a great place to call home.”
The survey also identified several areas residents believe should receive additional attention. The top overall priorities were traffic flow and ease of getting around Gaithersburg, maintenance of City streets, public safety and affordable housing.
“This data provides meaningful insight as we move through our strategic planning and budget preparation processes,” City Manager Tanisha Briley said. “The results highlight strong performance in our core City services while also indicating that areas such as traffic flow, street maintenance, public safety, and affordable housing will need continued focus in the years ahead.”
The survey was conducted by ETC Institute and sent to 3,000 randomly selected Gaithersburg households in August. A total of 400 completed surveys were returned, representing a response rate of approximately 13%. According to the City, the demographics of respondents reflected Gaithersburg’s population.
Results of the 2026 Community Survey were presented during the Mayor and City Council work session on Monday, October 26.
