Maryland

Maryland by the Numbers:
Key Statistical Data and Facts

Key Details

• Maryland is the 18th most populous US state, with a population of 6,164,660 people.
• As of 2021, 51.3% of residents are females and 48.7% are males.
• In 2022, there were 2,559,195 housing units in Maryland.
• 22.4% of Maryland's residents aged 25+ have Bachelor's degrees as the highest educational attainment.
• Wes Moore serves as the 63rd Governor of the state.
• As of 2020, the life expectancy at birth for the average Maryland resident is 76.8 years.

Maryland Population Demographics

Located in the Mid-Atlantic region, Maryland is the 18th most populous US state, with a population of  6,164,660 people residents (as of 2021). Spanning 9,711.20 square miles, it also ranks as the 5th most densely populated state in the United States.

According to the 2022 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.3% of Maryland’s population are females, while males account for 48.7%. Like in other U.S. states, a large percentage of the population is between 18 and 64 (55,8%). Also, 22.1% of the population is under 18, 16.3% is 65 years and over, and 5.8% is under five years.

Note: Maryland borders Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, Delaware, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Maryland Housing

According to the US Census

2 559 195

As of July 1, 2022, there were 2,559,195 housing units in Maryland

67.3%

of which were owner-occupied

$338,500

Between 2017 and 2021, the median value of Maryland’s owner-occupied housing units was

$2,111 and $658

Owner-occupy homeowners in Maryland paid an average of $2,111 and $658 monthly as owner cost, with and without a mortgage.

$440

On the other hand, those without mortgage payments spent an average of $440 monthly on maintenance.

2,294,270 households

Also, there were 2,294,270 households in Maryland between 2017 and 2021.

Maryland Racial Demographics

Maryland's population consists of White Americans, Americans of African Origin, Hispanics (or Latinos), Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, among others.

Maryland’s racial demography changed between 2000 and 2021. There has been a decrease in the population of White Americans. In contrast, there was an increase in the population of the

Elections in Maryland

Maryland is a Democratic Party stronghold. The Democrats have controlled the leadership of the state for close to 200 years (1838 to 2022). As of 2023, the Democratic Party has won all but 9 of the governorship elections in the state since 1838.

In the 2022 governorship elections, Wes Moore of the Democratic Party pulled 1,293,944 votes (64.53% of the total valid vote) to defeat Dan Cox of the Republican Party to become the first African American governor of the state. The Democrats, Benjamin L. Gardin (senior Senator) and Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (junior Senator), are Maryland’s Senators to the U.S. Senate. Also, the Democrats account for 8 of the 9 Maryland Representatives in the 117th Congress of the U.S. House of Representatives.

2020 Presidential Election

Democrats have won in the Old Line State in 8 consecutive presidential elections (1992 to 2020). In 2020, 3,066,956 Maryland residents voted in the U.S. Presidential Elections. Joseph Biden of the Democratic Party won Maryland’s electoral college votes with 1,985,023 (65.4% of the votes) against Donald Trump's 976,414 votes ( 32.2%)

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Maryland Voting Statistics

The Democrats have dominated the presidential elections in Maryland from 1992 to 2020. The Democrats have won the state's electoral college votes for the past eight consecutive presidential elections (from 1992 to 2020). More than 154.6 million people voted in the U.S. 2020 presidential elections (over 17 million more than the 137.5 million who took part in 2016). 34% of voters in the United States identify as independents, 33% as Democrats, and 29% as Republicans.

General Election

How Educated Is Maryland

According to census data, 22.4% of Maryland's residents aged 25 years and over had a bachelor’s degree as their highest educational attainment. Like in most states, educational attainment is constantly changing. Between 2010 and 2021, the percentage of people with bachelor's degrees in Maryland rose by 6.4%. Other statuses include:

• 6.9% are associate degree holders
• 17.8% have a college education without a certificate
• 23.8% have a high school diploma (or its equivalent), and
• 8.9% have less than a high school diploma.

Note: Maryland State Laws mandate that children aged 5 - 16 must attend school (Chapter 494, Acts of 2012; Chapters 706 & 707, Acts of 2018; Code Education Article, sec. 7-301 (c)). To improve education in Maryland, the state government spent an average of $15,100 per student in 2019.

Maryland Employment Rate

As of April 2023, Maryland's unemployment rate stood at 2.5%, with 78,803 unemployed out of a 3,184,900-civilian labor force. The unemployment rate marked a 0.2% drop from the 2.7% recorded in March 2023 and a 0.6% drop from the 3.1% recorded for April 2022. The total payroll employment in Maryland for April 2023 was 2,739,200 (39,500 more jobs than the 2,739,200 recorded in April 2022).

Unemployment in Maryland varies across the different non-farm sectors. For instance, in April 2023, the unemployment rate in the manufacturing sector rose from 0.2% to 0.7% but remained stable in the mining, logging, and construction sectors at 0.4%. Also, the unemployment rate in Maryland dropped from 3.8% to 3.6% in the education and health services sectors.

Average Income in Maryland

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2021, the median household income in Maryland was $91,431. This figure was over $22,400 higher than the United States national average of $60,021. In 2021, Maryland’s median annual household income for families with one earner was $75,214. The median annual income for households with two or three earners is $98,840 and $113,994.

Families in Maryland

Maryland Marriage Rates

Maryland Divorce Rates

As of 2021, Maryland's divorce rate was 1.6 divorces per 1,000. This was less than the United States average of 6,0 per 1,000.  Divorce was more prevalent among Maryland’s female population than in the males. In 2021, 7.9% of the state’s male population were divorced compared to 11.5% of the females. Also, 1.7% and 1.9% of male and female residents were separated from their spouses. In addition, 2.4% and 8.1% of Maryland’s population are widows.

The divorce rate in Maryland has been a mix of rise and fall. In 2020, the divorce rate in Maryland was 1.7 per 1,000, which is lower than the 2.7 per 1,000 residents of 2019. However, in 2018, the divorce rate stood at 2.4 per 1,000 residents.

Life Expectancy in Maryland

According to the CDC, the life expectancy at birth for the average Maryland resident is 76.8 years (as of 2020). This figure is lower than the 79.2 years quoted for 2018 by the Maryland Department of Health. Life expectancy in Maryland differs for males and females. Typically, females in Maryland have a higher life expectancy at birth. On average, and as of 2021, Maryland’s male residents are expected to live up to 73.8 years. For female residents, life expectancy was 79.7 years for the same period.

In Maryland, life expectancy also differs across the different racial demography. For instance, 2018 data from the Maryland Department of Health show that the average life expectancies for Whites and African Americans living in the state were 80.0 years and 76.9 years. This trend continues based on sex, with white males and females having higher life expectancies than the other races in the state. Maryland’s life expectancy has been a mix of ups and downs.

Maryland Crime Rates

As of 2020, Maryland’s crime rate was 2.04 per 1,000 residents. In 2020, 123,439 crimes were reported across the different counties of the state. The number of different types of crimes committed in the state varies. For instance, there was a reduction in breaking or entering offenses between 2011 and 2020 (from  35,781 to 14,927 cases). In contrast, cases of rape and murder rose from 1,196 and 398 to 1,891 and 573. Generally, there is a reduction in the crime rate in Maryland. However, crime trends varied for the different crime types.

Maryland Incarceration Rate

According to statistics from the National Institute of Corrections,

1000

Data from the National Institute of Correction shows that the incarceration rate for Maryland as of 2020 was 2.58 per 1000. This figure is lower than the national average of 3.50 per 1000 people for the period.

15,561

In 2021, the Division of Correction in the Maryland Government put the rate of average daily conviction in the state at 15,561.

15,134 inmates

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were 15,134 inmates in Maryland as of 2021 (federal and state prisons),

14,616 males and 518 females

There was over a 380% increase in the number of people incarcerated in Maryland between 1970 and 2021, and about 87% of inmates are on pretrial. The incarceration rate in Maryland differs for different crimes.

Maryland's inmate population is declining. There was a sharp decrease in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Maryland Bankruptcy Rate

2022

7,305 bankruptcy cases

According to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of Maryland, there were 7,305 bankruptcy cases in Maryland in 2022. As of May 2023, there are 3,541 bankruptcy cases in the state. The majority of the bankruptcy cases in Maryland are under Chapter 7 (liquidation bankruptcy), Chapter 11 (reorganization or business bankruptcy), and Chapter 13 (adjustment bankruptcy). The most common bankruptcy type in Maryland is Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies.

 In 2022, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies accounted for 4,712 and 2,546 of the 7,305 bankruptcy cases for the year (Chapter 11 cases were 46). Also, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies accounted for 2,235 and 1,281 of the 3,541 bankruptcy cases in the first quarter of 2023.

The number of bankruptcy cases in Maryland has been declining. Between 2010 and 2022, there was a steady decline in bankruptcy cases in Maryland (except for 2017 and 2019).

Weird Laws in Maryland

Laws are to maintain peace and order. The law organizes how a society operates. Maryland state is no exception. However, several laws in the states may sound weird to residents and visitors. Below are some of Maryland’s laws that may sound bizarre but are true.