Demographics
Location and Size Population Education Income
Business Housing Contacts Unemployment
Location and Size
Baltimore County is situated in the geographic center of Maryland, surrounding the City of Baltimore almost entirely. The City of Baltimore and Baltimore County are entirely separate political units. The County is the largest jurisdiction in the Baltimore-Towson Metro Area with a population in excess of 2.6 million.
Over the past few decades, the basic demography of the County has changed from predominately rural to an urban and rural mix. The County is the third largest land area of any political subdivision in the State of Maryland. Within its 612 square miles (plus an additional 28 square miles of water) are situated at least 29 identifiable, unincorporated communities which, as of the year 2000, ranged in population from approximately 4,300 to 63,000. The County’s overall population grew 6.7 percent from 2000 to 2010. Today the County has the third highest population in the State of Maryland, and the second highest number of jobs.
Population
Baltimore County, the largest jurisdiction in the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan Area, increased its population 6.7 percent from 2000 to 2010. New population growth in Baltimore County is being directed toward the targeted growth areas — White Marsh to the northeast, and Owings Mills to the northwest. Designated as growth areas in 1979, each town center is adjacent to major transportation networks and anchored by a regional shopping center. White Marsh, which includes over 12,000 acres, has an estimated population of 83,714 people and is expected to grow to 87,261 by the year 2014. The Owings Mills community, which consists of 13,282 acres, has an estimated population of 75,303. The I-83 corridor, a traditional center of corporate and residential strength that includes Hunt Valley, Cockeysville and Timonium, has an estimated 3-mile radius population of 67,891 with 56,914 in the corridor's labor force. The chart below compares the population growth for the County, the Baltimore Metropolitan Area and the State of Maryland.
Year | Baltimore County | Change | Metro | Change | State | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | 620,409 | (X) | 2,071,016 | (X) | 3,923,897 | (X) |
1980 | 655,615 | 5.7% | 2,174,023 | 5.0% | 4,216,975 | 7.5% |
1990 | 692,134 | 5.6% | 2,382,172 | 9.6% | 4,781,468 | 13.4% |
2000 | 754,292 | 9.0% | 2,552,994 | 7.2% | 5,296,486 | 10.8% |
2010 | 805,029 | 6.7% | 2,710,489 | 6.2% | 5,773,552 | 9.0% |
Source: US Census 1970 - 2010, Maryland Department of Planning. Planning Data Services March 2010.
Population by Age
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Population | 754,292 | 100.0 | 805,029 | 100.0% |
Under 5 years | 45,252 | 6.0% | 48,074 | 6.0 |
5 to 9 years | 50,423 | 6.7% | 47,454 | 5.9 |
10 to 14 years | 52,541 | 7.0% | 49,231 | 6.1 |
15 to 19 years | 49,476 | 6.5% | 56,294 | 7.0 |
20 to 24 years | 45,112 | 6.0% | 57,772 | 7.2 |
25 to 34 years | 101,340 | 13.4% | 103,555 | 12.9 |
35 to 44 years | 123,444 | 16.4% | 102,844 | 12.7 |
45 to 54 years | 108,542 | 14.4% | 121,216 | 15.1 |
55 to 59 years | 37,849 | 5.0% | 54,414 | 6.8 |
60 to 64 years | 29,978 | 4.0% | 46,699 | 5.8 |
65 to 74 years | 55,573 | 7.4% | 32,328 | 4.0 |
75 to 84 years | 42,005 | 5.6% | 40,325 | 5.0 |
85 years and over | 12,757 | 1.7% | 20,681 | 2.6 |
Median age (years) | 37.7 | (X) | 39.1 | (X) |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Population by Race
| 2000 | % | 2010 | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Population | 754,292 | 100.0% | 805,029 | 100.0% |
One race | 743,529 | 98.6% | 785,745 | 97.6 |
White | 561,132 | 74.4% | 520,185 | 64.6 |
Black or African American | 151,600 | 20.1% | 209,738 | 26.1 |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,923 | 0.3% | 2,625 | 0.3 |
Asian | 23,947 | 3.2% | 40,077 | 5.0 |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 242 | 0.0% | 319 | 0.0 |
Other race | 4,685 | 0.6% | 10,959 | 1.6 |
Two or more races | 10,763 | 1.4% | 19,284 | 2.4 |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Population by Hispanic Origin
| 2000 | 2010 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 13,774 | 33,735 | 4.2 |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Population by Sex
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total population | 754,292 | 100.0% | 805,029 | 100.0% |
Male | 357,347 | 47.4% | 380,409 | 47.3 |
Female | 396,945 | 52.6% | 424,620 | 52.7 |
Source: US Census: 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Education and Income
Population by Education
2000 | % | 2005-2009 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Population over 25 years | 511,434 | 100.0% | 536,014 | 100.0% |
High School Graduate (including equivalency) | 141,035 | 27.6% | 149,969 | 28.0 |
Associate Degree | 28,857 | 5.6% | 32,434 | 6.1 |
Bachelor Degree | 92,487 | 18.1% | 107,802 | 20.1 |
Professional Degree or Doctorate | 63,854 | 12.5% | 76,194 | 14.2 |
Source: US Census: Decennial 2000
American Community Survey 2005-2009 Social Characteristics 5-Year Estimates.
Population by Employment
2000 | % | 2010 | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employed civilian population 16 years and over | 379,705 | 100.0% | 402,467 | 100.0% | |
| + | + | + | + | |
Occupations | + | + | + | + | |
Managerial, professional, and related occupations | 149,884 | 39.5 | 175,747 | 41.2 | |
Service occupations | 50,193 | 13.2 | 64,02 | 14.8 | |
Sales and office occupations | 110,226 | 29.0 | 111,011 | 27.3 | |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 419 | 0.1 | 488 | 0.1 | |
Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations | 30,346 | 8.0 | 25,769 | 6.4 | |
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations | 38,637 | 10.2 | 33,836 | 8.4 | |
| + | + | + | + | |
Industry | + | + | + | + | |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining | 914 | 0.2 | 1,134 | 0.3 | |
Construction | 22,494 | 5.9 | 21,815 | 5.4 | |
Manufacturing | 34,029 | 9.0 | 22,328 | 5.5 | |
Wholesale trade | 12,893 | 3.4 | 9,439 | 2.3 | |
Retail trade | 42,862 | 11.3 | 42,4 | 11.0 | |
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities | 18,728 | 4.9 | 19,389 | 4.8 | |
Information | 12,314 | 3.2 | 10,116 | 2.5 | |
Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing | 36,030 | 9.5 | 37,367 | 9.3 | |
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, waste management services | 40,049 | 10.5 | 45,231 | 11.2 | |
Educational, health and social services | 87,102 | 22.9 | 112,151 | 27.9 | |
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services | 24,780 | 6.5 | 28,635 | 7.1 | |
Other services (except public administration) | 18,471 | 4.9 | 18,309 | 4.5 | |
Public administration | 29,039 | 7.6 | 34,631 | 8.6 | |
Source: US Census: Decennial 2000
American Community Survey 2010.
Income
Households
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Households | 300,020 | 100.0 | 315,975 | 100.0 |
Less than $10,000 | 16,784 | 5.6 | 16,071 | 5.1 |
$10,000 to $14,999 | 12,875 | 4.3 | 11,384 | 3.6 |
$15,000 to $24,999 | 31,596 | 10.5 | 22,426 | 7.1 |
$25,000 to $34,999 | 36,576 | 12.3 | 28,040 | 8.9 |
$35,000 to $49,999 | 49,581 | 16.5 | 43,813 | 13.9 |
$50,000 to $74,999 | 68,083 | 22.7 | 63,231 | 20.0 |
$75,000 to $99,999 | 38,584 | 13.0 | 45,013 | 14.2 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 29,269 | 9.8 | 51,634 | 16.3 |
$150,000 to 199,999 | 7,722 | 2.6 | 18,272 | 5.8 |
$200,00 or more | 8,950 | 3.0 | 16,091 | 5.1 |
Median household income | $50,667 | (X) | $62,543 | (X) |
| + | + | + | + | |
With earnings | $243,270 | 81.1 | $254,505 | 80.5 |
Mean earnings | $64,064 | (X) | $82,093 | (X) |
With Social Security income | $81,407 | 27.1 | $86,799 | 27.5 |
Mean Social Security income | $12,459 | (X) | $17,446 | (X) |
With Supplemental Security Income | $9,315 | 3.1 | $12,485 | 4.0 |
Mean Supplemental Security Income | $6,777 | (X) | $9,235 | (X) |
With public assistance income | $5,161 | 1.7 | $7,707 | 2.4 |
Mean public assistance income | $2,785 | (X) | $4,197 | (X) |
With retirement income | $61,535 | 20.5 | $64,919 | 20.5 |
Mean retirement income | $18,132 | (X) | $22,810 | (X) |
* in 2010 inflation adjusted dollars
Families
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Families | 199,946 | 100.0 | 205,613 | 100.0 |
Less than $10,000 | 6,444 | 3.2 | 7,102 | 3.5 |
$10,000 to $14,999 | 4,479 | 2.2 | 3,496 | 1.7 |
$15,000 to $24,999 | 14,516 | 7.3 | 8,882 | 4.3 |
$25,000 to $34,999 | 20,648 | 10.3 | 14,831 | 7.2 |
$35,000 to $49,999 | 31,971 | 16.0 | 24,183 | 11.8 |
$50,000 to $74,999 | 50,561 | 25.3 | 40,990 | 19.9 |
$75,000 to $99,999 | 31,532 | 15.8 | 33,293 | 16.2 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 25,180 | 12.6 | 42,010 | 20.4 |
$150,000 to $199,999 | 6,746 | 3.4 | 16,526 | 8.0 |
$200,000 or more | 7,869 | 3.9 | 14,300 | 7.0 |
Median family income | 59,998 | (X) | $77,137 | (X) |
Per capita income | 26,127 | (X) | $32,322 | (X) |
Male full-time, year round workers | 34,946 | (X) | $52,012 | (X) |
Female full-time, year-round workers | 24,631 | (X) | $44,192 | (X) |
* in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census
American Community Survey 2010
Effective Buying Income 2008
In 2007, Baltimore County's Estimated Median Household Effective Buying Income of $47,696 was 14.8 percent higher than the $41,527 Estimated Median Household Effective Buying Income for the United States.
Distribution | Baltimore | Metro | State | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Less than $15,000 | 8.4% | 10.6% | 9.0% | 13.4% |
$15,000-$34,999 | 23.1 | 21.0 | 19.5 | 26.3 |
$35,000-$49,999 | 18.1 | 16.3 | 16.3 | 18.5 |
$50,000 and Over | 50.4 | 52.0 | 55.0 | 41.6 |
* Effective Buying Income (EBI) is a classification developed exclusively by Sales & Marketing Management to distinguish it from other sources, reporting income statistics and is defined as all money income less personal tax and non-tax payments. The latter includes fines, fees, penalties, and personal contributions to social insurance.
Source: Claritas 2010, Demographic Updates.
Business
Business Establishments
Fiscal Year | Number of Establishments |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 21,309 |
2009 | 21,466 |
2008 | 21,793 |
2007 | 22,180 |
2006 | 21,740 |
2005 | 21,338 |
2004 | 20,832 |
2003 | 20,050 |
2002 | 19,900 |
2001 | 19,358 |
2000 | 19,463 |
Source: Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Employment and Payrolls – County Industry Series 2000-2009*(1st quarter).
Retail Sales
Baltimore County continues to generate more per capita retail sales than the Baltimore Metropolitan Area and the State of Maryland.
Baltimore County | Baltimore Metro Area | State of Maryland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Total (000's) | Per Capita | Total (000's) | Per Capita | Total (000's) | Per Capita |
2000 | 10,699,399 | 14,746 | 29,458,533 | 11,764 | 62,221,036 | 11,964 |
2001 | 11,714,278 | 15,434 | 31,992,064 | 12,468 | 66,360,448 | 12,438 |
2002 | 11,693,586 | 15,167 | 31,994,568 | 12,308 | 66,162,252 | 12,202 |
2003 | 12,626,013 | 16,173 | 34,565,261 | 13,115 | 70,942844 | 12,872 |
2004 | 13,397,907 | 17,192 | 36,930,747 | 14,049 | 76,380,292 | 13,750 |
2005 | 14,214,638 | 18,034 | 39,824,391 | 15,057 | 82,174,925 | 14,667 |
Source: Sales & Marketing Management. Survey of Buying Power, 2000-2005.
Housing
Housing Value
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total owner-occupied units | 202,574 | 100.0 | 206,222 | 100.0 |
Less than $50,000 | 3,432 | 1.7 | 5024 | 2.4 |
$50,000 to $99,999 | 56,256 | 27.8 | 4,342 | 2.1 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 73,014 | 36.0 | 13,706 | 6.7 |
$150,000 to $199,999 | 31,279 | 15.4 | 30,487 | 15.0 |
$200,000 to $299,999 | 22,715 | 11.2 | 72,178 | 35.2 |
$300,000 to $499,999 | 11,380 | 5.6 | 53,414 | 26.0 |
$500,000 to $999,999 | 3,520 | 1.7 | 23,855 | 12.0 |
$1,000,000 or more | 975 | 0.48 | 2,727 | 1.3 |
Median (dollars) | 125,700 | (X) | 265,200 | (X) |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial 2000
American Community Survey 2010
Housing Occupancy
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Housing Units | 313,734 | 100.0% | 335,622 | 100.0 |
Occupied housing units | 299,877 | 95.6 | 316,715 | 94.4 |
Vacant housing units | 13,857 | 4.4 | 18,907 | 5.6 |
+ | + | + | + | + |
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent) | N/A | N/A | 1.8% | (X) |
Rental vacancy rate (percent) | N/A | N/A | 7.1% | (X) |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Housing Market Indicators 2007, 2008, 2009
FY 2007 | August 2008 | August 2009 | % Change 08-09 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Sold Dollar Volume | $230,662,635 | $177,008,087 | $154,365,630 | -12.79% |
Average Sold Price | $306,325 | $306,773 | $273,214 | -10.94% |
Median Sold Price | $256,500 | $250,000 | $225,000 | -10.00% |
Total Units Sold | 753 | 577 | 565 | -2.08% |
Average Days on Market | 83 | 104 | 117 | 12.50% |
Average List Price for Sold | $320,227 | $334,771 | $299,279 | -10.60% |
Average Sale Price as a percentage of Average List Price | 95.66% | 91.64% | 91.29% | N/A |
Source: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc.- MLS Resale Data:Real Estate Trend Indicator - Detached/Attached<100k to$5M format
Housing Tenure
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Occupied housing units | 299,877 | 100.0% | 316,715 | 100.0% |
Owner-occupied housing units | 202,579 | 67.6 | 211,571 | 66.8 |
Renter-occupied housing units | 97,298 | 32.5 | 105,144 | 33.2 |
| + | + | + | + | |
Average household size of owner-occupied units | 2.46 | (X) | 2.59 | (X) |
Average household size of renter-occupied units | N/A | (X) | 2.24 | (X) |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Households by Type
2000 | % | 2010 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total households | 299,877 | 100% | 316,715 | 100% |
Family households (families) | 198,605 | 66.2 | 205,113 | 64.8 |
With own children under 18 years | 62,950 | 20.9 | 87,703 | 27.7 |
Married-couple families | 148,099 | 49.4 | 144,119 | 45.5 |
With own children under 18 years | 63,107 | 21.0 | 57,086 | 18.0 |
Male householder, no wife present | 12,108 | 4.0 | 15,166 | 4.8 |
With own children under 18 years | 5,914 | 1.9 | 6,783 | 2.1 |
Female householder, no husband present | 38,398 | 12.8 | 45,828 | 14.5 |
With own children under 18 years | 21,690 | 7.2 | 23,834 | 7.5 |
Nonfamily households | 100,135 | 33.4 | 111,602 | 35.2 |
Householder living alone | 81,863 | 27.3 | 89,478 | 28.3 |
65 years and older | 31,735 | 10.6 | 34,575 | 11.1 |
| + | + | + | + | |
Households with one or more people under 18 years | 100,033 | 33.4 | 99,474 | 31.4 |
Households with one or more people 65 years and over | 69,601 | 23.2 | 84,942 | 26.8 |
| + | + | + | + | |
Average household size | 2.46 | (X) | 2.48 | (X) |
Average family size | 3.00 | (X) | 3.04 | (X) |
Source: US Census 2000 and 2010 prepared by the Maryland Department of Planning.
Contacts
Baltimore County Infobank—An index of informational and data links for demographics and business information.
Maryland State Data Center (opens new window)—410-767-4450
Maryland Department of Planning—1-877-767-6272
Baltimore County Department of Economic Development—410-887-8000
Baltimore Metropolitan Council—410-732-0500
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey—1-888-456-7215
Revised December 1, 2011
