Gaithersburg Announces Results of 2026 Community Survey

In a recent random survey of City residents, 84% of respondents described Gaithersburg as an "excellent" or "good" place to live. Top rated measures included the quality of City services, openness and acceptance towards people of diverse backgrounds, and the overall quality of neighborhoods. Residents also gave positive marks to the natural environment, City events, the City's image and reputation, and overall appearance.

Residents expressed high levels of satisfaction with several major services provided by the City. Parks and recreation programs and facilities and recycling, yard waste and bulk pickup collection earned the highest ratings. Residents also gave favorable ratings to City buildings and facilities, customer service, street and infrastructure maintenance, and police services.

"We are proud to see that our residents hold such positive perceptions of Gaithersburg," said Mayor Jud Ashman. "These results reaffirm that our community recognizes and values our ongoing efforts to ensure Gaithersburg remains welcoming and a great place to call home."

"This data provides meaningful insight as we move through our strategic planning and budget preparation processes," said City Manager Tanisha Briley. "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 sent by the ETC Institute to 3,000 randomly selected households in August of 2026. Four hundred (13%) completed surveys were returned. Demographics of survey respondents reflected the City's population.

The City rated above the U.S. average in 50 of 54 areas. Satisfaction with the overall quality of City services rated 35% above the U.S. average, and satisfaction with customer service rated 35% above the U.S. average. The top overall priorities indicated by respondents includes traffic flow/ease of getting around Gaithersburg, maintenance of City streets, public safety, and affordable housing.

The 2026 Community Survey results were presented at the Mayor and City Council Work Session on Monday, October 26. View the presentation and the full survey report.