MD Suburbs Grow As Baltimore City, Rural Areas Shrink: Census

MARYLAND — Anne Arundel County eclipsed Baltimore City in population, census data revealed Thursday. The trend illustrates Maryland's growing suburbs and a shrinking urban hub.

With 588,261 people, Anne Arundel is now the fourth-largest jurisdiction in the state. That's a 9.4 percent and a 50,605 resident increase. Baltimore City swapped places with the county and is now the fifth-largest jurisdiction in Maryland.

"Over the last ten years, we grew fast," County Executive Steuart Pittman tweeted, pointing to his smart growth strategy called Plan2040. "Some of that growth was poorly planned sprawl, without the services and infrastructure that our residents deserve. We’ve caught up in recent years, but must ensure that future growth is better planned and community-supported."

Declining population is not a new problem for Baltimore. The city peaked at 949,708 people in 1950.

Baltimore is now almost half that size with 585,708 locals. It lost 35,253 residents, or 5.7 percent of its population, in the last decade alone.

"We must pivot from the status quo towards inclusive economic policies that improve the lives of our legacy residents, while attracting new residents," Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a press release. "Understanding that much of Baltimore’s 21st century population loss has been driven by an exodus of African American households, my administration will be focused on equitable economic development."

Six other counties also declined in population. All the other contracting areas are in Western Maryland or on the Eastern Shore. These counties are:

• Allegany
• Dorchester
• Garrett
• Kent
• Somerset
• Talbot

Posting a 9.3 percent reduction, Allegany County is thinning out quicker than any region in the state. Kent County's 19,198 people are the fewest in Maryland.

Frederick County is developing speedier than anywhere else with its 16.4 percent growth rate. Neighboring Montgomery County became the first jurisdiction to pass 1 million locals.

These two statistics help explain why the Washington area is the fastest-expanding part of the state. The Baltimore region remains the most populated place in Maryland with 2,300,979 residents.

The population of every jurisdiction is listed below and posted at this link.

Altogether, Maryland grew by 403,672 people or 7 percent. The state now has 6,177,224 locals.

Officials must now redraw Maryland's legislative districts to reflect the population changes. This process has already sparked controversy, leaving many towns worried that partisan boundaries could divide their communities.

"Free and fair elections are the foundation of American democracy," Gov. Larry Hogan stated. "It’s time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to end the practice of gerrymandering."

The governor also noted 2.2 million Maryland households participated in the 2020 census. That gave Maryland the ninth-best self-response rate in the nation.

The full data from the U.S. Census Bureau are available here.

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RELATED:

• Dueling Commissions Foreshadow Partisan Battle Over Redistricting
• Legislative Leaders Eye Early December Special Session To Draw Congressional Map
• Central Maryland Residents Urge Redistricting Commission To Keep Neighborhoods Intact In Proposed Maps
• Reducing Traffic, Revitalizing Business Hubs: Pittman Has A Plan
• Plan2040 Interactive Site Allows Residents To Provide Comments

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.