Howard County, Maryland
Population 336,328
- Overall cost of living: +4.5% vs the US average, higher than 96% of US counties.
- Median household income: $149,763, higher than 99% of US counties.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 64.5%, higher than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+4.5% | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $597,900 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Median rent | $2,099 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $188/mo | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $17,457/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.17% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.75% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $6,987 | higher than 98% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $149,763 | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.5% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 560.1 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈198 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 25°F | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 28 in | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 36 days | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 86 days | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 4.9% of weeks | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈65°F | higher than 59% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 46.9 in | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $47/yr | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $36/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $4.7/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.4/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.7/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.8 µg/m³ | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 18.5 mi | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈745.2 ft | higher than 70% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 95% | higher than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 64.5% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 34.1% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 67 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.3:1 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 95% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 9.46 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.4 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.4 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 185/100k | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 43 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.2★ | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 82.9 yrs | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 4.5% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 460/100k | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 91/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 56.8/100k | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 98.1% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 29 min | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 29 min | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 28 min | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 96.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1.5% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 26% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 32 min | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 66 per sq mi | higher than 88% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.1 per 1k | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.9 per 1k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 336,328 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.8 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -3.5 per 1k/yr | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 69.1% Dem | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 27.4% Rep | lower than 98% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 3.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % White | 45.9% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 8.7% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % Black | 19.7% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Asian | 19.2% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 5.7% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 357 parks | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 16.4 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.3 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 89 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 126 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 211 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 3,597 km | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 100 km | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 752 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 484 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 141 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 74 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 54 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 11 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 109 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 199 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 211 km | higher than 93% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data