Howard County, MD

County

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2022 Population
332,011
0.839% 1-year growth
US Senator
Ben Cardin
Democratic Party
US Senator
Chris Van Hollen
Democratic Party
2022 Median Age
39.2
0.513% 1-year increase
2022 Poverty Rate
5.37%
2.45% 1-year decrease
2022 Median Household Income
$140,971
8.82% 1-year growth
2022 Median Property Value
$551,300
14.1% 1-year growth
2022 Employed Population
174,305
1.18% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Howard County, MD had a population of 332k people with a median age of 39.2 and a median household income of $140,971. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Howard County, MD grew from 329,248 to 332,011, a 0.839% increase and its median household income grew from $129,549 to $140,971, a 8.82% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Howard County, MD are White (Non-Hispanic) (48.4%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (19.7%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (18.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.87%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (2.43%).

None of the households in Howard County, MD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

92.2% of the residents in Howard County, MD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Howard County, MD are Howard Community College (1,344 degrees awarded in 2022), Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia (509 degrees), and Maryland University of Integrative Health (320 degrees).

In 2022, the median property value in Howard County, MD was $551,300, and the homeownership rate was 72.1%.

Most people in Howard County, MD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Howard County, MD was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Historic Ellicott City, MD

Population & Diversity

Howard County, MD is home to a population of 332k people, from which 92.2% are citizens. As of 2022, 21.7% of Howard County, MD residents were born outside of the country (72k people).

In 2022, there were 2.46 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (161k people) in Howard County, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 65.3k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 62.5k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

92.2%
2022 Citizenship
92.4%
2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 92.2% of Howard County, MD residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Howard County, MD was 92.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Howard County, MD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Howard County, MD
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    161k ± 682
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    65.3k ± 955
  3. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    62.5k ± 1.34k
7.48%
Hispanic Population
24.8k people

In 2022, there were 2.46 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (161k people) in Howard County, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 65.3k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 62.5k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

7.48% of the people in Howard County, MD are hispanic (24.8k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Howard County, MD as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Maryland.
Most Common Origin
  1. El Salvador
    115,960 ± 8,281 people
  2. India
    61,668 ± 6,066 people
  3. Nigeria
    45,887 ± 5,240 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maryland was El Salvador, the natal country of 115,960 Maryland residents, followed by India with 61,668 and Nigeria with 45,887.

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Foreign-Born Population

21.7%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
72k people
21.4%
2021 Foreign-Born Population
70.4k people

As of 2022, 21.7% of Howard County, MD residents (72k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Howard County, MD was 21.4%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Howard County, MD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    5,350 ± 696
  2. Vietnam
    4,091 ± 375
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    2,703 ± 463

Howard County, MD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.31 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Howard County, MD employs 174k people. The largest industries in Howard County, MD are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (31,666 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (23,697 people), and Educational Services (20,814 people), and the highest paying industries are Management of Companies & Enterprises ($124,924), Public Administration ($124,187), and Utilities ($118,971).

Males in Maryland have an average income that is 1.24 times higher than the average income of females, which is $77,266. The income inequality in Maryland (measured using the Gini index) is 0.454, which is lower than than the national average.

Occupations

174k
2022 Value
± 3,387
1.18%
1 Year growth
± 2.69%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Howard County, MD grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 172k employees to 174k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Howard County, MD, are Management Occupations (26,106 people), Computer & Mathematical Occupations (20,054 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (15,481 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Howard County, MD.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Maryland (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Employment by Industries

174k
2022 Value
± 3,387
1.18%
1 Year growth
± 2.69%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Howard County, MD grew at a rate of 1.18%, from 172k employees to 174k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Howard County, MD, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (31,666 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (23,697 people), and Educational Services (20,814 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Howard County, MD, though some of these residents may live in Howard County, MD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$93,643
Median earning men ± $1,839
$65,147
Median earning women ± $2,149

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Public Administration ($129,332), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($121,935), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($117,039).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Public Administration ($118,741), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($83,750), and Manufacturing ($83,488).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Y-Axis
0.617%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.69M people employed in Maryland. This represents a 0.617% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Maryland.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 1,525
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  2. 638
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. 494
    Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $5.34M
    Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
  2. $1.33M
    Wholesale Trade
  3. $1.07M
    Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Howard County, MD went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 70.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (26.4%), followed by Other (1.51%).

Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are the senators currently representing the state of Maryland. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Maryland is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

US Senators from Maryland

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Ben Cardin
Senator from Maryland1
Assumed office on January 3, 2007
Chris Van Hollen
Senator from Maryland3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are the senators currently representing Maryland.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Maryland over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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US Representatives from Maryland

Maryland is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Maryland have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

In 2022, universities in Howard County, MD awarded 2,218 degrees. The student population of Howard County, MD in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 4,327 male students and 5,619 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Howard County, MD are White (738 and 34.8%), followed by Black or African American (604 and 28.5%), Hispanic or Latino (284 and 13.4%), and Asian (254 and 12%).

The largest universities in Howard County, MD by number of degrees awarded are Howard Community College (1,344 and 60.6%), Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia (509 and 22.9%), and Maryland University of Integrative Health (320 and 14.4%).

The most popular majors in Howard County, MD are General Studies (565 and 25.5%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (188 and 8.48%), and Automobile Mechanics Technology (168 and 7.57%).

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 9,946 students enrolled in Howard County, MD, 43.5% men and 56.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 3,087 records, of which 58.6% were women and 41.4% men.

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Concentrations

Most Common
  1. 565 degrees awarded
  2. 188 degrees awarded
  3. 150 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Howard County, MD was General Studies with 565 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Howard County, MD according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. 1,344 degrees awarded
  2. 509 degrees awarded
  3. 320 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Howard Community College with 1,344 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2022, 1,019 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Howard County, MD, which is 0.85 times less than the 1,199 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 738 degrees mean that there were 1.22 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 604 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($6,939) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($765) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($2,400) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Measure

In 2022, 1.12% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.05% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.2M), Bachelors Degree (1.04M), and Some college (961k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Howard County, MD was $551,300 in 2022, which is 1.96 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $483,200 to $551,300, a 14.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Howard County, MD is 72.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Howard County, MD have an average commute time of 29.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Howard County, MD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Howard County, MD is $140,971. In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Howard County, MD was Census Tract 6055.04 with a value of $250,001, followed by Census Tract 6055.05 and Census Tract 6051.03, with respective values of $250,001 and $214,107.

In 2023, 13.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Howard County, MD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.72%.

Property

$551,300
Median Property Value 2022
±$6,385
$85,941
Median Property Taxes
±$1,709

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Howard County, MD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Howard County, MD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

72.1%
Homeownership
2022
68.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2022

In 2022, 72.1% of the housing units in Howard County, MD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Howard County, MD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Income by Location

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Race/Ethnicity
Highest Median Household Income (Total)
  1. Census Tract 6055.04
  2. Census Tract 6055.05
  3. Census Tract 6051.03

In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Howard County, MD was Census Tract 6055.04 with a value of $250,001, followed by Census Tract 6055.05 and Census Tract 6051.03, with respective values of $250,001 and $214,107.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Howard County, MD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$140,971
Median Household Income
± $2,122
119k
Number of Households
± 2,547

In 2022, the median household income of the 119k households in Howard County, MD grew to $140,971 from the previous year's value of $129,549.

The following chart displays the households in Howard County, MD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Howard County, MD is from Maryland.
0.454
2022 Wage GINI in Maryland
0.456
2021 Wage GINI in Maryland

In 2022, the income inequality in Maryland was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.498% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Maryland was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Maryland in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Maryland across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022
  1. Drove Alone (70.5%)
  2. Worked At Home (19.3%)
  3. Carpooled (5.7%)

In 2022, 70.5% of workers in Howard County, MD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.3%) and those who carpooled to work (5.7%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

29.5 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Howard County, MD have a longer commute time (29.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 2.69% of the workforce in Howard County, MD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Howard County, MD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Howard County, MD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Howard County, MD have 2 cars.

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Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 13.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Howard County, MD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.72%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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Poverty & Diversity

5.37% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Howard County, MD (17.7k out of 329k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Howard County, MD is Black, followed by White and Asian.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Children in Poverty

In 2023, 7.4% of the children was living in poverty in Howard County, MD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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Health

96.1% of the population of Howard County, MD has health coverage, with 63.6% on employee plans, 9.3% on Medicaid, 10.1% on Medicare, 11.6% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Howard County, MD see 521 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.17% increase from the previous year (515 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1146 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 278 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Patient to Clinician Ratios

521 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Howard County, MD

Primary care physicians in Howard County, MD see an average of 521 patients per year. This represents a 1.17% increase from the previous year (515 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Howard County, MD in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.7% under 18 years, 18.3% between 18 and 34 years, 41.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

3.88%
Uninsured
63.6%
Employer Coverage
9.3%
Medicaid
10.1%
Medicare
11.6%
Non-Group
1.47%
Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Howard County, MD declined by 0.0174% from 3.88% to 3.88%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Howard County, MD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 33.9 in Howard County, MD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Howard County, MD.

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 25.5% in Howard County, MD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Howard County, MD.

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Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 3.88% in Howard County, MD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Howard County, MD.

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