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Demographics
Location and Size Population Education Income
Business Housing Contacts Unemployment
Baltimore County is situated in the geographic center of Maryland, surrounding the City of Baltimore almost entirely. The County is the largest jurisdiction in the metropolitan area with a population in excess of 2.6 million. The City of Baltimore and Baltimore County are entirely separate political units.
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 11.9 percent from 692,134 in 1990 to 785,618 in 2008. Today the County has the third highest population in the State of Maryland, and the second highest number of jobs.
Baltimore County, the largest jurisdiction in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, increased its population 11.9 percent from 1990 to 2008. New population growth in Baltimore County is being directed toward the targeted growth areas — White Marsh to the east, and Owings Mills to the west. 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 83,296 people and is expected to grow to 87,180 by the year 2012. The Owings Mills community, which consists of 13,282 acres, has an estimated population of 74,221 people with the highest concentration of young professionals in the County. 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 67,925 with 56,757 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 | N/A | 2,071,016 | N/A | 3,923,897 | N/A |
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% |
2007 | 788,994 | 4.6% | 2,668,056 | 4.5% | 5,618,344 | 6.1% |
2008 | 785,618 | (0.4%) | 2,620,026 | (1.8%) | 5,633,597 | 0.3% |
Source: US Census 1970 - 2000, Maryland Department of Planning. Planning Data Services. American Community Survey 2007 and 2008. Claritas Demographic Updates 2008 Population estimates.
Population by Age
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Total Population | 787,384 | 100.0% | 788,994 | 100.0 | 785,618 | 100.0% |
Under 5 years | 46,559 | 5.9 | 48,271 | 6.1 | 47,667 | 6.1 |
5 to 9 years | 46,808 | 5.9 | 47,095 | 6.0 | 44,561 | 5.7 |
10 to 14 years | 50,328 | 6.1 | 49,008 | 6.2 | 50,094 | 6.4 |
15 to 19 years | 56,705 | 7.2 | 57,314 | 7.3 | 56,074 | 7.1 |
20 to 24 years | 52,258 | 6.6 | 53,416 | 6.8 | 53,639 | 6.8 |
25 to 34 years | 98,026 | 12.5 | 96,662 | 12.3 | 96,983 | 12.3 |
35 to 44 years | 116,354 | 14.8 | 113,419 | 14.4 | 111,119 | 14.1 |
45 to 54 years | 120,283 | 15.3 | 121,224 | 15.4 | 120,455 | 15.3 |
55 to 59 years | 48,385 | 6.1 | 51,163 | 6.5 | 49,492 | 6.3 |
60 to 64 years | 39,028 | 5.0 | 37,841 | 4.8 | 41,405 | 5.3 |
65 to 74 years | 52,891 | 6.7 | 54,030 | 6.8 | 55,332 | 7.0 |
75 to 84 years | 44,052 | 5.6 | 43,475 | 5.5 | 38,541 | 4.9 |
85 years and over | 15,707 | 2.0 | 16,076 | 2.0 | 20,256 | 2.6 |
Median age (years) | 38.8 | 38.8 | 38.8 |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006, 2007, 2008
Population by Race
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Total Population | 787,384 | 100.0% | 788,994 | 100.0% | 785,618 | 100.0% |
One race | 775,448 | 98.5 | 779,011 | 98.7 | 772,984 | 98.4 |
White | 541,197 | 68.7 | 534,043 | 68.6 | 553,538 | 67.9 |
Black or African American | 192,446 | 24.4 | 196,161 | 25.2 | 196,120 | 25.0 |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 2,324 | 3.0 | 1,759 | 0.2 | 1,319 | 0.2 |
Asian | 33,208 | 4.2 | 33,686 | 4.3 | 33,410 | 4.3 |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 411 | 0.05 | 315 | 0.0 | 173 | 0.0 |
Other race | 5,862 | 0.7 | 13,047 | 1.7 | 8,424 | 1.1 |
Two or more races | 11,936 | 1.5 | 9,983 | 1.3 | 12,634 | 1.6 |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008
Population by Hispanic Origin
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 21,005 | 23,169 | 24,528 |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008.
Population by Sex
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Total population | 787,384 | 100.0% | 788,994 | 100.0% | 785,618 | 100.0% |
Male | 374,023 | 47.5 | 375,704 | 47.6 | 373,996 | 47.6 |
Female | 413,361 | 52.4 | 413,290 | 52.4 | 411,622 | 52.4 |
Source: US Census . American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008.
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Population by Education
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Population over 25 years | 534,726 | 100.0% | 533,890 | 100.0% | 533,583 | 100.0% |
High School Graduate (including equivalency) | 149,588 | 28.0 | 151,522 | 28.4 | 146,411 | 27.4 |
Associate Degree | 35,372 | 6.6 | 31,896 | 6.0 | 33,166 | 6.2 |
Bachelor Degree | 105,762 | 19.8 | 108,110 | 20.2 | 109,516 | 20.5 |
Professional Degree or Doctorate | 77,591 | 14.5 | 77,769 | 14.6 | 74,824 | 14.0 |
Source: US Census .American Community Survey 2006, 2007, 2008.
Population by Employment
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | ||
Employed civilian population 16 years and over | 411,127 | 100.0% | 403,526 | 100.0% | 414,612 | 100.0% | |
Occupations | |||||||
Managerial, professional, and related occupations | 171,168 | 41.6 | 170,032 | 42.1 | 165,600 | 39.9 | |
Service occupations | 58,201 | 14.2 | 59,386 | 14.7 | 64,972 | 15.7 | |
Sales and office occupations | 108,461 | 26.4 | 109,190 | 27.1 | 111,862 | 27.0 | |
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 444 | 0.1 | 799 | 0.2 | 552 | 0.1 | |
Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations | 33,206 | 8.1 | 30,921 | 7.7 | 35,751 | 8.6 | |
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations | 39,647 | 9.6 | 33,198 | 8.2 | 35,875 | 8.7 | |
Industry | |||||||
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining | 746 | 0.2 | 801 | 0.2 | 1,130 | 0.3 | |
Construction | 27,040 | 6.6 | 25,730 | 6.4 | 29,557 | 7.1 | |
Manufacturing | 29,604 | 7.2 | 25,437 | 6.3 | 27,894 | 6.7 | |
Wholesale trade | 11,610 | 2.8 | 9,579 | 2.4 | 12,115 | 2.9 | |
Retail trade | 43,534 | 10.6 | 47,227 | 11.7 | 43,157 | 10.4 | |
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities | 19,991 | 4.9 | 20,223 | 5.0 | 19,372 | 4.7 | |
Information | 9,551 | 2.3 | 11,496 | 2.8 | 9,535 | 2.3 | |
Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing | 36,718 | 9.0 | 36,227 | 9.0 | 32,236 | 7.8 | |
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, waste management services | 51,354 | 12.5 | 44,410 | 11.0 | 50,649 | 12.2 | |
Educational, health and social services | 101,191 | 25.0 | 100,606 | 24.9 | 101,815 | 24.6 | |
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services | 29,884 | 7.3 | 30,854 | 7.6 | 32,479 | 7.8 | |
Other services (except public administration) | 18,502 | 4.5 | 18,263 | 4.5 | 22,234 | 5.4 | |
Public administration | 31,402 | 8.0 | 32,673 | 8.1 | 32,439 | 7.8 | |
Source: US Census American Community Survey 2006, 2007, 2008.
Households
2000 | % | 2006 | % | 2007* | % | 2008* | % | |
Households | 300,020 | 100.0 | 311,657 | 100.0 | 309,948 | 100.0 | 311,244 | 100.0 |
Less than $10,000 | 16,784 | 5.6 | 13,860 | 4.5 | 15,361 | 5.0 | 14,309 | 4.6 |
$10,000 to $14,999 | 12,875 | 4.3 | 12,533 | 4.0 | 13,235 | 4.3 | 11,569 | 3.7 |
$15,000 to $24,999 | 31,596 | 10.5 | 25,869 | 8.3 | 26,974 | 8.7 | 22,861 | 7.3 |
$25,000 to $34,999 | 36,576 | 12.3 | 28,810 | 9.2 | 25,020 | 8.1 | 28,092 | 9.0 |
$35,000 to $49,999 | 49,581 | 16.5 | 43,499 | 14.0 | 42,182 | 13.6 | 44,380 | 14.3 |
$50,000 to $74,999 | 68,083 | 22.7 | 70,044 | 22.5 | 63,840 | 20.6 | 60,537 | 19.5 |
$75,000 to $99,999 | 38,584 | 13.0 | 43,787 | 14.1 | 43,714 | 14.1 | 45,842 | 14.7 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 29,269 | 9.8 | 47,174 | 15.1 | 47,238 | 15.2 | 48,987 | 15.7 |
$150,000 to 199,999 | 7,722 | 2.6 | 14,554 | 4.7 | 15,962 | 5.1 | 18,528 | 6.0 |
| $200,00 or more | 8,950 | 3.0 | 11,527 | 3.7 | 16,422 | 5.3 | 16,139 | 5.2 |
Median household income | $50,667 | (X) | $59,995 | (X) | $60,844 | (X) | $63,128 | (X) |
With earnings | $243,270 | 81.1 | $255,601 | 82.0 | $251,653 | 81.2 | $254,557 | 81.8 |
Mean earnings | $64,064 | (X) | $76,878 | (X) | $80,964 | (X) | $82,957 | (X) |
With Social Security income | $81,407 | 27.1 | $85,931 | 27.6 | $86,048 | 27.8 | $84,944 | 27.3 |
Mean Social Security income | $12,459 | (X) | $14,624 | (X) | $15,315 | (X) | $16,576 | (X) |
With Supplemental Security Income | $9,315 | 3.1 | $6,927 | 2.2 | $8,467 | 2.7 | $7,812 | 2.5 |
Mean Supplemental Security Income | $6,777 | (X) | $7,813 | (X) | $6,870 | (X) | $8,576 | (X) |
With public assistance income | $5,161 | 1.7 | $4,762 | 1.5 | $3,525 | 1.1 | $3,564 | 1.1 |
Mean public assistance income | $2,785 | (X) | $3,012 | (X) | $3,297 | (X) | $2,086 | (X) |
With retirement income | $61,535 | 20.5 | $65,215 | 21.0 | $63,571 | 20.5 | $57,344 | 18.4 |
Mean retirement income | $18,132 | (X) | $19,648 | (X) | $21,274 | (X) | $21,711 | (X) |
* in 2007 and 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars
Families
2000 | % | 2006 | % | 2007* | % | 2008* | % | |
Families | 199,946 | 100.0 | 204,481 | 100.0 | 196,452 | 100.0 | 199,388 | 100.0 |
Less than $10,000 | 6,444 | 3.2 | 6,631 | 3.2 | 4,898 | 2.5 | 4,322 | 2.2 |
$10,000 to $14,999 | 4,479 | 2.2 | 4177 | 2.0 | 4,225 | 2.2 | 3,685 | 1.8 |
$15,000 to $24,999 | 14,516 | 7.2 | 11,871 | 5.8 | 10,582 | 5.4 | 9,881 | 5.0 |
$25,000 to $34,999 | 20,648 | 10.4 | 15,028 | 7.4 | 12,923 | 6.6 | 13,286 | 6.7 |
$35,000 to $49,999 | 31,971 | 16.0 | 25,744 | 12.6 | 23,471 | 11.9 | 24,460 | 12.3 |
$50,000 to $74,999 | 50,561 | 25.3 | 46,252 | 22.6 | 39,252 | 20.0 | 38,375 | 19.2 |
$75,000 to $99,999 | 31,532 | 16.0 | 34,347 | 16.8 | 33,217 | 16.9 | 32,759 | 16.4 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 25,180 | 12.9 | 37,472 | 18.3 | 39,147 | 19.9 | 42,042 | 21.1 |
$150,000 to $199,999 | 6,746 | 3.4 | 13,025 | 6.4 | 13,859 | 7.1 | 15,858 | 8.0 |
| $200,000 or more | 7,869 | 3.9 | 9,934 | 4.9 | 14,878 | 7.6 | 14,720 | 7.4 |
Median family income | $59,998 | (X) | $70,716 | (X) | $76,951 | (X) | $78,690 | (X) |
Per capita income | $26,167 | (X) | $31,086 | (X) | $32,323 | (X) | $33,522 | (X) |
Median earnings: | $30,656 | (X) | $34,894 | (X) | $36,039 | (X) | $37,068 | (X) |
Male full-time, year round workers | $41,048 | (X) | $49,615 | (X) | $51,244 | (X) | $50,796 | (X) |
Female full-time, year-round workers | $31,426 | (X) | $40,187 | (X) | $42,264 | (X) | $42,979 | (X) |
* in 2007 and 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000 Census of Population, Social and Economic Characteristics.; American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008..
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 | 8.3% | 10.6% | 9.1% | 13.6% |
$15,000-$34,999 | 24.2 | 22.3 | 20.8 | 27.4 |
$35,000-$49,999 | 18.4 | 16.7 | 16.8 | 18.9 |
$50,000 and Over | 49.1 | 50.4 | 53.3 | 40.1 |
* 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 2008, Demographic Updates.
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Business Establishments
Fiscal Year | Number of Establishments |
| 2009* | 21,448 |
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.
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2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Total owner-occupied units | 208,555 | 213,289 | 207,000 |
Less than $50,000 | 2,129 | 2,785 | 5,227 |
$50,000 to $99,999 | 7,951 | 5,690 | 3,225 |
$100,000 to $149,999 | 21,570 | 15,274 | 10,701 |
$150,000 to $199,999 | 30,947 | 28,246 | 24,515 |
$200,000 to $299,999 | 62,957 | 69,085 | 71,240 |
$300,000 to $499,999 | 54,310 | 62,481 | 59,891 |
$500,000 to $999,999 | 24,911 | 25,583 | 26,945 |
$1,000,000 or more | 3,780 | 4,145 | 5,256 |
Median (dollars) | 253,600 | 273,000 | 284,100 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey. 2006.2007.2008.
Housing Occupancy
2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Total housing units | 326,023 | 100.0% | 327,566 | 100.0 | 328,154 | 100.0% |
Occupied housing units | 311,657 | 95.6 | 309,948 | 94.6 | 311,244 | 94.8 |
Vacant housing units | 14,366 | 4.4 | 17,618 | 5.4 | 16,910 | 5.2 |
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent) | 0.7% | (X) | 1.0% | (X) | 1.3% | (X) |
Rental vacancy rate (percent) | 4.7% | (X) | 6.2% | (X) | 5.5% | (X) |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006,2007,2008
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
| 2006 | % | 2007 | % | 2008 | % | |
Occupied housing units | 311,657 | 100.0% | 309,948 | 100.0% | 311,244 | 100.0% |
Owner-occupied housing units | 208,555 | 67.0 | 213,289 | 67.0 | 207,000 | 66.5 |
Renter-occupied housing units | 103,102 | 33.0 | 96,659 | 33.1 | 104,244 | 33.5 |
Average household size of owner-occupied units | 2.59 | (X) | 2.63 | (X) | 2.58 | (X) |
Average household size of renter-occupied units | 2.21 | (X) | 2.15 | (X) | 2.21 | (X) |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006, 2007, 2008.
Households by Type
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
Total households | 311,657 | 309,948 | 311,244 |
Family households (families) | 204,481 | 196,452 | 199,388 |
With own children under 18 years | 94,415 | 87,969 | 90,650 |
Married-couple families | 148,489 | 144,420 | 145,799 |
With own children under 18 years | 61,090 | 57,813 | 62,393 |
Male householder, no wife present | 14,968 | 14,914 | 12,439 |
With own children under 18 years | 9,117 | 8,213 | 5,740 |
Female householder, no husband present | 41,024 | 37,118 | 41,150 |
With own children under 18 years | 24,208 | 21,943 | 22,517 |
Nonfamily households | 107,176 | 113,496 | 111,856 |
Householder living alone | 85,567 | 92,673 | 93,420 |
65 years and older | 32,673 | 34,634 | 33,857 |
Households with one or more people under 18 years | 103,101 | 97,356 | 100,747 |
Households with one or more people 65 years and over | 79,227 | 80,332 | 78,500 |
Average household size | 2.46 | 2.48 | 2.46 |
| Average family size | 2.99 | 3.11 | 3.08 |
Source: US Census. American Community Survey 2006, 2007,2008.
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Baltimore County Infobank—An index of informational and data links for demographics and business information.
Maryland State Data Center—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 9, 2009



