List of counties in Maryland

Independent city and counties of Maryland
Independent city and counties of Maryland
Location	State of Maryland
Number	23 counties and 1 Independent city
Populations	(Counties only): 19,303 (Kent) – 1,058,474 (Montgomery)
Areas	(Counties only): 254 square miles (660 km2) (Howard) – 983 square miles (2,550 km2) (Dorchester)
Government	County government ;
Subdivisions	(Counties): cities, towns, unincorporated communities, census designated place ; (Independent city): Neighborhoods ;

Last updated December 09, 2024

There are 23 counties and one independent city in the U.S. state of Maryland. 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. 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]

History

The last new county formation in Maryland occurred when Garrett County was formed in 1872 from portions of 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]

Outside Baltimore (which is an independent city) 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, so there is little incentive for a community to incorporate. 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. In fact, there are no incorporated municipalities at all in Baltimore County or Howard County. The county-equivalent is also the provider of public schools—school districts as a separate level of government do not exist in Maryland.^{[ citation needed ]}

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 separated from Baltimore County in 1851.^[4]

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.^[5] Maryland's code is 24, which when combined with any county code would be written as 24XXX.^[6]^[7] The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties


County	FIPS code^[8]	County seat ^[2]^[9]	Est.^[2]^[9]	Origin^[2]	Etymology^[2]	Flag	Population^[10]	Area^[9]^[10]
AlleganyCounty	001	Cumberland	1789	Formed from part of Washington County	From Lenape oolikhanna, which means "beautiful stream"		67,273	430 sq mi (1,114 km²)
Anne ArundelCounty	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		594,582	588 sq mi (1,523 km²)
BaltimoreCounty	005	Towson	1659	Formed from unorganized territory	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony		844,703	682 sq mi (1,766 km²)
BaltimoreCity	510	Baltimore City	1851	Founded in 1729. Detached in 1851 from Baltimore County	Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, first proprietor of the Maryland colony		565,239	92 sq mi (238 km²)
CalvertCounty	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		94,728	345 sq mi (894 km²)
CarolineCounty	011	Denton	1773	From parts of Dorchester County and Queen Anne's County	Lady Caroline Eden, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore		33,593	326 sq mi (844 km²)
CarrollCounty	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		176,639	452 sq mi (1,171 km²)
CecilCounty	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		105,672	418 sq mi (1,083 km²)
CharlesCounty	017	La Plata	1658	From unorganized territory	Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, second proprietor of the Maryland colony		171,973	643 sq mi (1,665 km²)
DorchesterCounty	019	Cambridge	1668	From unorganized territory	Dorchester in Dorset, England; the Earl of Dorset was a friend of the Calvert family		32,879	983 sq mi (2,546 km²)
FrederickCounty	021	Frederick	1748	From part of Prince George's County	Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore, final proprietor of the Maryland colony		293,391	667 sq mi (1,728 km²)
GarrettCounty	023	Oakland	1872	From part of Allegany County	John Work Garrett, president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad		28,423	656 sq mi (1,699 km²)
HarfordCounty	025	Bel Air	1773	From part of Baltimore County	Henry Harford, illegitimate son of Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore		264,644	527 sq mi (1,365 km²)
HowardCounty	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		336,001	254 sq mi (658 km²)
KentCounty	029	Chestertown	1642	From unorganized territory	The English county of Kent		19,303	414 sq mi (1,072 km²)
MontgomeryCounty	031	Rockville	1776	From part of Frederick County	Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general		1,058,474	507 sq mi (1,313 km²)
Prince George'sCounty	033	Upper Marlboro	1696	From parts of Calvert County and Charles County	Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne of Great Britain		947,430	498 sq mi (1,290 km²)
Queen Anne'sCounty	035	Centreville	1706	From parts of Talbot County	Anne, Queen of Great Britain		52,508	510 sq mi (1,321 km²)
SomersetCounty	039	Princess Anne	1666	From unorganized territory.	Mary, Lady Somerset, sister-in-law of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore		24,910	611 sq mi (1,582 km²)
St. Mary'sCounty	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		115,281	611 sq mi (1,582 km²)
TalbotCounty	041	Easton	1662	From part of Kent County	Grace, Lady Talbot, sister of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore		37,823	477 sq mi (1,235 km²)
WashingtonCounty	043	Hagerstown	1776	From part of Frederick County	George Washington, first President of the United States	None	155,813	468 sq mi (1,212 km²)
WicomicoCounty	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		104,800	400 sq mi (1,036 km²)
WorcesterCounty	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		54,171	695 sq mi (1,800 km²)

Defunct counties

Defunct counties of Maryland
County	Years of existence	Etymology
Old Charles County	1650–1654	King Charles I of England
Durham County	1669–1672	The English County Durham
Old Worcester County	1672–1685	Mary Arundell, the wife of Sir John Somerset, son of the 1st Marquess of Worcester

Related Research Articles

In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an administrative or political subdivision of a U.S. state or other territories of the United States which consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, while Louisiana and Alaska have functionally equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs, respectively. Counties and other local governments exist as a matter of U.S. state law, so the specific governmental powers of counties may vary widely between the states, with many providing some level of services to civil townships, municipalities, and unincorporated areas. Certain municipalities are in multiple counties; New York City is uniquely partitioned into five counties, referred to at the city government level as boroughs. Some municipalities have been consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties, or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities. Conversely, counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island, eight of Massachusetts's 14 counties, and Alaska's Unorganized Borough have no government power, existing only as geographic distinctions.

A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCDs are used for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau, and do not necessarily represent the primary form of local government. They range from non-governing geographical survey areas to municipalities with weak or strong powers of self-government. Some states with large unincorporated areas give substantial powers to counties; others have smaller or larger incorporated entities with governmental powers that are smaller than the MCD level chosen by the Census.

In 45 of the 50 states of the United States, the county is used for the level of local government immediately below the state itself. Louisiana uses parishes, and Alaska uses boroughs. In Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, some or all counties within states have no governments of their own; the counties continue to exist as legal entities, however, and are used by states for some administrative functions and by the United States Census bureau for statistical analysis. There are 3,242 counties and county equivalent administrative units in total, including the District of Columbia and 100 county-equivalents in the U.S. territories.

In the United States, an independent city is a city that is not in the territory of any county or counties and is considered a primary administrative division of its state. Independent cities are classified by the United States Census Bureau as "county equivalents" and may also have similar governmental powers to a consolidated city-county or a unitary authority. However, in the case of a consolidated city-county, a city and a county were merged into a unified jurisdiction in which the county at least nominally exists to this day, whereas an independent city was legally separated from any county or merged with a county that simultaneously ceased to exist even in name.

References

↑ Brugger, Robert J. (1988). Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634–1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-3399-X.
1 2 3 4 5 "Counties". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
↑ Brown, Deneen (June 28, 1997). "As Unification Nears, Takoma Park Residents Still a Divided People". The Washington Post. pp. A1. Retrieved June 24, 2007.
↑ "Baltimore City, Maryland". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
↑ "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
↑ "Understanding Geographic Identifiers (GEOIDs)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
↑ "American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Codes for States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
↑ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
1 2 3 National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
1 2 "Maryland QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

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[1] Brugger, Robert J. (1988). Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634–1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-3399-X.

[Manual-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Counties". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved June 24, 2007.

[3] Brown, Deneen (June 28, 1997). "As Unification Nears, Takoma Park Residents Still a Divided People". The Washington Post. pp. A1. Retrieved June 24, 2007.

[4] "Baltimore City, Maryland". Maryland Manual Online. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

[5] "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2007.

[6] "Understanding Geographic Identifiers (GEOIDs)". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

[7] "American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Codes for States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

[FIPS-8] "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved February 23, 2008.

[NACO-9] 1 2 3 National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2008.

[QF-10] 1 2 "Maryland QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

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