Independent city and counties of Maryland
LocationState of Maryland
Number23 counties and 1 Independent city
Populations(Counties only): 19,557 (Kent) – 1,082,273 (Montgomery)
Areas(Counties only): 254 square miles (660 km2) (Howard) – 983 square miles (2,550 km2) (Dorchester)
Government
Subdivisions

There are 23 counties and one independent city in the U.S. state of Maryland. Many of the counties in Maryland were named for relatives of the Barons Baltimore, who were the proprietors of the Maryland colony from its founding in 1634 through 1771. The Barons Baltimore were Catholic, and George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, originally intended that the colony be a haven for English Catholics, though for most of its history Maryland has had a majority of Protestants.[1]

Though formally an independent city rather than a county, the City of Baltimore is considered the equal of a county for most purposes and is functionally a county-equivalent in most respects.

History

The most recent county formation in Maryland occurred in 1872 when Garrett County was split from Allegany County.[2] However, there have been numerous changes to county borders since that time, most recently when portions of the city of Takoma Park that had previously been part of Prince George's County were absorbed into Montgomery County in 1997.[3]

Within Maryland the county is the default unit of local government. Under Maryland law, counties exercise powers reserved in most other states at the municipal or state levels.[4] Many of the state's most populous and economically important communities, such as Bethesda, Silver Spring, Columbia, and Towson are unincorporated and receive their municipal services from the county.[5] In fact, there are no incorporated municipalities at all in Baltimore County or Howard County.[6][7] The county-equivalent is also the provider of public schools as school districts do not exist as a separate level of government in Maryland.[8]

The City of Baltimore is an entity nearly surrounded by but separate from the County of Baltimore. The City has been considered on par with the counties within the state since it became an independent city after it separated from Baltimore County in 1851.[9]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry.[10] Maryland's code is 24, which when combined with any county code would be written as 24XXX.[11][12] The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties

County
 FIPS code[13] County seat[2][14] Est.[2][14] Origin[2] Etymology[2] Flag
 Seal
 Population
(2024)[15] 		Area[14][15] Map
Allegany County 001 Cumberland 1789 Formed from part of Washington County From Lenape oolikhanna, which means "beautiful stream" 67,097 430 sq mi
(1,114 km2)
Anne Arundel County 003 Annapolis 1650 Formed from part of St. Mary's County Anne Arundell was the maiden name of the wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Between 1654 and 1658 it was known as Providence County by Puritan settlers 602,350 588 sq mi
(1,523 km2)
Baltimore County 005 Towson 1659 Formed from unorganized territory Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony 852,425 682 sq mi
(1,766 km2)
Baltimore City 510 Baltimore City 1851 Founded in 1729. Detached in 1851 from Baltimore County Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony 568,271 92 sq mi
(238 km2)
Calvert County 009 Prince Frederick 1654 Formed as Patuxent County from unorganized territory. Renamed Calvert County in 1658 The Calvert family; prior to 1658 it was called Patuxent County, after the Patuxent Indians, a branch of the Algonquians 94,913 345 sq mi
(894 km2)
Caroline County 011 Denton 1773 From parts of Dorchester County and Queen Anne's County Lady Caroline Eden, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore 34,248 326 sq mi
(844 km2)
Carroll County 013 Westminster 1837 From parts of Baltimore County and Frederick County Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a representative to the Continental Congress and signatory of the Declaration of Independence 177,108 452 sq mi
(1,171 km2)
Cecil County 015 Elkton 1674 From parts of Baltimore County and Kent County Cecil is an Anglicized form of the first name of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 106,305 418 sq mi
(1,083 km2)
Charles County 017 La Plata 1658 From unorganized territory Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, second proprietor of the Maryland colony 174,478 643 sq mi
(1,665 km2)
Dorchester County 019 Cambridge 1668 From unorganized territory Dorchester in Dorset, England; the Earl of Dorset was a friend of the Calvert family 33,138 983 sq mi
(2,546 km2)
Frederick County 021 Frederick 1748 From part of Prince George's County Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, final proprietor of the Maryland colony 299,317 667 sq mi
(1,728 km2)
Garrett County 023 Oakland 1872 From part of Allegany County John Work Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 28,393 656 sq mi
(1,699 km2)
Harford County 025 Bel Air 1773 From part of Baltimore County Henry Harford, illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore 265,514 527 sq mi
(1,365 km2)
Howard County 027 Ellicott City 1851 From parts of Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County John Eager Howard, an American Revolutionary War officer and governor of Maryland 339,668 254 sq mi
(658 km2)
Kent County 029 Chestertown 1642 From unorganized territory The English county of Kent 19,557 414 sq mi
(1,072 km2)
Montgomery County 031 Rockville 1776 From part of Frederick County Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general 1,082,273 507 sq mi
(1,313 km2)
Prince George's County 033 Upper Marlboro 1696 From parts of Calvert County and Charles County Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain 966,629 498 sq mi
(1,290 km2)
Queen Anne's County 035 Centreville 1706 From parts of Talbot County Anne, Queen of Great Britain 53,688 510 sq mi
(1,321 km2)
Somerset County 039 Princess Anne 1666 From unorganized territory. Mary, Lady Somerset, sister-in-law of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 25,241 611 sq mi
(1,582 km2)
St. Mary's County 037 Leonardtown 1637 From unorganized territory. Was named Potomac County between 1654 and 1658. The Virgin Mary, first county named in a colony intended to be a haven for Catholics 116,469 611 sq mi
(1,582 km2)
Talbot County 041 Easton 1662 From part of Kent County Grace, Lady Talbot, sister of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 38,244 477 sq mi
(1,235 km2)
Washington County 043 Hagerstown 1776 From part of Frederick County George Washington, first President of the United States 157,228 468 sq mi
(1,212 km2)
Wicomico County 045 Salisbury 1867 From parts of Somerset County and Worcester County The Wicomico River; in Lenape, wicko mekee indicated "a place where houses are built", possibly in reference to a settlement 106,329 400 sq mi
(1,036 km2)
Worcester County 047 Snow Hill 1742 From part of Somerset County Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester, and sister of Anne Arundell, the wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore 54,337 695 sq mi
(1,800 km2)

See also

Further reading

References

  1. Brugger, Robert J. (1988). Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634–1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-3399-X.
  2. "Counties". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives.
  3. Brown, Deneen (June 28, 1997). "As Unification Nears, Takoma Park Residents Still a Divided People". The Washington Post. pp. A1.
  4. "Maryland Government, State, local & federal". Maryland State Archives. April 9, 2024.
  5. "Place Alpha Vacancy 2000-2010" (PDF). Maryland Department of Planning. February 2011.
  6. "Baltimore County, Maryland, Municipalities". Maryland State Archives. March 11, 2022.
  7. "Howard County, Maryland, Municipalities". Maryland State Archives. December 6, 2024.
  8. "Maryland" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1.
  9. "Baltimore City, Maryland". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives.
  10. "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
  11. "Understanding Geographic Identifiers (GEOIDs)". United States Census Bureau.
  12. "American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Codes for States". United States Census Bureau.
  13. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004.
  14. National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007.
  15. "Maryland QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau.