Maryland is the ninth-smallest state in the country regarding total area (12,406 square miles) but has the 18th-largest population (6,298,325 at the start of 2023). As a result, the "Old Line State" has a population density of 649 people per square mile (mi²), the fifth-highest in the US and more than six times the national density of 96 people/mi². Maryland's population increased by 9.09% from 2010 to 2023, the 22nd-highest increase of any state.
Maryland is divided into 23 counties, 16 of which border water. Montgomery County is the state's most populated county, bordering Washington, DC, and home to 1,089,145 residents as of 2023—a 12.08% increase since 2010. Although Montgomery County contains four of the state's ten most populous cities, the single most significant city in Maryland—Baltimore, whose population of 575,133 is more than five times that of the second-largest city—is located in its territory and operates as an unofficial 24th county.
While most state capitals are among the top five most prominent cities in their respective states, Maryland's state capital, Annapolis, is the 24th-largest city. On an unrelated note, in 2021, Maryland ranked as the state with the highest average internet speeds in the country.
Maryland, one of the original 13 colonies, entered the Union in April 1788 and participated in all 59 presidential elections. Since the founding of the modern political parties (around the Civil War), Maryland has been primarily a "blue" state. Since 1960, Maryland has voted Republican only in the landslide wins of Richard Nixon in 1972, Ronald Reagan in 1984, and George H. W. Bush in 1988. In 2020, Biden more than doubled the number of Donald Trump votes, winning 65% to 32%.
Maryland Population 2024
6,196,525
According to a 2022 study from the U.S. Census Bureau, this state's local governments consist of 23 counties, 157 cities, towns, and villages, and 162 special districts. Baltimore operates as an independent city.
Maryland's median age is approximately 38.3. The state's gender ratio is 51.6% females and 48.4% males.
The state population is divided in terms of religious preferences: 69% are affiliated with a Christian-based faith, 8% identify with non-Christian-based faiths, and 23% are not affiliated with any faith.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Maryland was:
White: 52.67%
Black or African American: 29.83%
Asian: 6.46%
Two or more races: 5.4%
Other race: 5.32%
Native American: 0.28%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.05%
Muslims are under 35,000 or 43.1%
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