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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Howard County

Maryland · 332,317 residents · 251 sq mi
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The short version

Howard County is a county of 332,317 people in Maryland. 63% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. Households take in $124,042 a year at the median, 87% more than the country as a whole. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $464,500. Households here earn about 42% more than in Maryland as a whole. 84,475 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 39.0
US median: 38.8
More educated
63% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 56%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
332,317
+34%since 2000
from 247,842 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
39.0
+10%since 2000
from 35.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
251 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
172K217K262K307K351K19902000201020202024Howard County
2024336K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.6%(18,525)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.8%(22,749)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147.5%(24,850)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.9%(22,795)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.6%(18,543)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412%(39,734)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.2%(47,327)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.9%(46,129)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.2%(44,002)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.7%(28,986)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.2%(14,059)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.4%(4,618)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$124,042
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $74,167 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$55,873
+72%since 2000
from $32,402 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
72.9%
+9.1 ptssince 2009
from 63.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
5.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 3.9% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information7.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services6.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Retail trade4.9%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 2%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$464,500
+56%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $198,600 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,731
+31%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $879 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
71.1%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 73.8% in 2000
28.9% rent
Persons per household
2.75 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.73 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.7
−17%since 2009
from 4.5 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic72.6%(180,010)
Black14.3%(35,353)
Hispanic / Latino3%(7,490)
Asian7.7%(18,977)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic46.7%(155,236)
Black19.3%(64,018)
Hispanic / Latino8.2%(27,362)
Asian19.9%(66,073)
Other5.1%(16,943)
Segregation Score
22
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Central American2.6%(8,488)
Salvadoran1.5%(4,705)
Mexican1.3%(4,110)
Puerto Rican1.2%(3,894)
South American0.9%(2,959)
Honduran0.5%(1,773)
Guatemalan0.4%(1,326)
Peruvian0.3%(1,025)
Cuban0.3%(924)
Dominican0.3%(817)
Colombian0.3%(813)
Spaniard0.1%(434)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0.1%(416)
Ecuadorian0.1%(330)
Argentine0.1%(249)
Venezuelan0.1%(192)
Costa Rican0.1%(188)
Chilean0.1%(165)
Bolivian0%(81)
Uruguayan0%(73)
Asian origin
Asian Indian6.2%(19,938)
Korean4.3%(13,703)
Chinese4%(12,856)
Pakistani1.1%(3,395)
Filipino0.8%(2,702)
Vietnamese0.5%(1,718)
Nepalese0.2%(751)
Burmese0.2%(587)
Japanese0.2%(573)
Taiwanese0.2%(537)
Bangladeshi0.2%(521)
Thai0.1%(346)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0.1%(233)
Indonesian0.1%(181)
Cambodian0%(123)
Mongolian0%(85)
Laotian0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(53)
Samoan0%(23)
Tongan0%(6)
Ancestry
German12.5%(40,336)
Irish10.4%(33,497)
English8.3%(26,848)
Italian6%(19,246)
Subsaharan African3.6%(11,570)
American3.6%(11,547)
Polish3.4%(10,864)
Scottish1.9%(6,160)
Russian1.7%(5,320)
French1.6%(5,203)
West Indian1.3%(4,189)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(3,010)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
British0.9%(2,927)
Nigerian0.8%(2,579)
Norwegian0.8%(2,536)
Greek0.7%(2,379)
Jamaican0.7%(2,315)
Dutch0.7%(2,101)
Welsh0.6%(2,059)
Swedish0.6%(1,952)
Iranian0.6%(1,805)
French Canadian0.5%(1,539)
Ukrainian0.5%(1,462)
Lithuanian0.4%(1,308)
Ethiopian0.4%(1,215)
Hungarian0.4%(1,201)
Arab0.3%(1,079)
Czech0.3%(1,038)
Austrian0.3%(991)
Turkish0.3%(931)
Ghanaian0.3%(874)
Slovak0.3%(852)
Swiss0.3%(807)
Portuguese0.2%(755)
Brazilian0.2%(746)
Danish0.2%(737)
Egyptian0.2%(730)
Israeli0.2%(628)
Canadian0.2%(604)
Romanian0.2%(570)
Serbian0.2%(496)
Lebanese0.2%(484)
Guyanese0.1%(475)
Haitian0.1%(451)
Croatian0.1%(434)
Palestinian0.1%(397)
Cape Verdean0.1%(395)
Finnish0.1%(387)
Syrian0.1%(342)
Latvian0%(158)
Kenyan0%(157)
Jordanian0%(145)
Belgian0%(145)
Somali0%(83)
Moroccan0%(82)
Armenian0%(81)
Barbadian0%(73)
Slovene0%(57)
Iraqi0%(44)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
62.7%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 52.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
95.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 93.1% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
32.3%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 23.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.1 min
+40%since 2000
from 22.1 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
77.2%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 80.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
3.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.9% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 4.6% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
71.0%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 73.4% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
63.9%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 57.6% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
51.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
21.2%
+5.6 ptssince 2009
from 15.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 7.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
97.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
88.0%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married33.1%(43,893)
Married59.5%(78,765)
Widowed1.8%(2,375)
Divorced5.6%(7,445)
Women 15+
Never married28.2%(39,187)
Married54.8%(76,102)
Widowed6.8%(9,482)
Divorced10.2%(14,189)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 7.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
74.3%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
12.7%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
13.9%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
11.4%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
84.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
24.0%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)30.6%(5,284)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)33.1%(5,724)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era29%(5,001)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War6.4%(1,106)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.3%(405)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 17,274 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Howard County

Douglas County
Pop 399,396
Somerset County
Pop 356,486
Forsyth County
Pop 282,805
Marin County
Pop 253,694
Places similar to Howard County
Head to head

Compare Howard County to nearby counties

HOWARD COUNTY VS
Montgomery County
Income$132,450+7%
Home value$640,300+38%
Population1,074,582+217%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOWARD COUNTY VS
Baltimore
Income$62,177−50%
Home value$229,600−51%
Population569,997+68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOWARD COUNTY VS
Baltimore County
Income$91,768−26%
Home value$349,300−25%
Population847,650+150%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HOWARD COUNTY VS
Carroll County
Income$118,211−5%
Home value$434,000−7%
Population176,677−48%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Howard County, Maryland?

Howard County, Maryland has about 332,317 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Howard County, Maryland?

The typical household in Howard County, Maryland earns about $124,042 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Howard County, Maryland expensive?

In Howard County, Maryland, the median home is worth about $464,500, and the typical rent is about $1,731 a month.

How educated are people in Howard County, Maryland?

About 62.7% of adults age 25 and over in Howard County, Maryland hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Howard County, Maryland?

About 5.1% of people in Howard County, Maryland live below the federal poverty line.

Has Howard County, Maryland grown since 1990?

Yes, Howard County, Maryland has grown since 1990. The population has added about 144,989 residents, a change of about 77 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →