County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
Maryland Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Maryland population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 24 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Maryland population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Maryland had 6,265,347 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 23 counties and Baltimore City. Montgomery County is the most populous, with 1,074,582 people (17% of the state), and Kent County is the least populous, with 19,565.
Baltimore City is an independent city that the Census Bureau counts as a county equivalent, so it is listed alongside the counties.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Maryland population at a glance
- Counties and county equivalents: 24
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 6,265,347 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 6,181,640; change +83,707, +1.4%)
- Most populous: Montgomery County (1,074,582); least populous: Kent County (19,565)
- Median county: about 111,912 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 65% of all Maryland residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 1 · 100,000+: 14 · under 10,000: 0
- Statewide density: about 645 people per square mile of land
Maryland population by county, July 2025 (all 24)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Maryland's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 or more | 1 | 1,074,582 | 17% |
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 7 | 3,899,913 | 62% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 6 | 841,723 | 13% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 8 | 404,591 | 6% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 2 | 44,538 | 1% |
8 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 79% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Baltimore City: 7,042 per sq mi (569,997 people on 81 sq mi)
- Montgomery County: 2,179 per sq mi (1,074,582 people on 493 sq mi)
- Prince George's County: 2,011 per sq mi (970,374 people on 483 sq mi)
- Anne Arundel County: 1,455 per sq mi (603,380 people on 415 sq mi)
- Baltimore County: 1,417 per sq mi (847,650 people on 598 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Garrett County: 44 per sq mi (28,370 people on 649 sq mi)
- Dorchester County: 62 per sq mi (33,628 people on 541 sq mi)
- Kent County: 71 per sq mi (19,565 people on 277 sq mi)
- Somerset County: 78 per sq mi (24,973 people on 320 sq mi)
- Caroline County: 107 per sq mi (34,116 people on 319 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 6,265,347 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in Maryland
- Largest counties in Maryland
- Maryland county GIS websites by viewer
- Maryland plat maps
- Maryland landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Maryland counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.