Map the Block › Places › Maryland › Howard County
What are the crime rate and median income in Howard County, Maryland?
Howard County averaged 1.3 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 68% lower than the Maryland rate (4.2). Median household income is $149,763 and the unemployment rate was 3.4% in August 2026. Population: about 336,328 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Howard County?
Police agencies in Howard County reported an average of 453 violent crimes and 5,182 property crimes a year from 2021 to 2025. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 1.3: 68% lower than the Maryland rate (4.2), and 64% lower than the national rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 15.3 per 1,000 residents, compared with 18.5 across Maryland. Aggravated assaults make up 55% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 10 homicide deaths a year in the county (3.2 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Howard County | Per 1,000 | Maryland per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 453 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 7 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 65 | 0.19 | 0.34 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 130 | 0.38 | 1.2 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 251 | 0.74 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 5,182 | 15.3 | 18.5 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 417 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 3,871 | 11.4 | 13.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 894 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (1 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Howard County?
The median household in Howard County earns $149,763 a year, 44% higher than the Maryland median ($103,678). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $597,900, and the median rent is $2,099 a month. 5.6% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 11.2%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 6,162 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Howard County | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 336,328 | 6,206,011 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $597,900 | $419,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $2,099 | $1,705 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 3.5% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 5.2% | 9.4% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 5.6% | 11.2% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 64.5% | 43.4% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 71.5% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 39.8 | 39.4 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 96.6% | 92.4% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.2% | 6.3% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Howard County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Howard County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Howard County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 6 high-hazard dams in Howard County. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 6 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Centennial Park Dam (42 ft) and Columbia Gateway Dam (36 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
8 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 15,273 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Howard County was covered by 3 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Flood 2, Snowstorm 1), not counting COVID-19. In 2024, 0 of 366 monitored days had an air quality index of “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse (EPA). Of 4 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest). NHTSA counted 21 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 8 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Howard County?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Howard County (all active that day). Roads listed: US29 and US 29. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Howard County?
Federal school lists show 80 public and 35 private schools in the county. 7 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 11 fire or EMS stations and 4 police or sheriff stations. 2 state parks or recreation areas: Patapsco Valley State Park and Patuxent River State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Howard County
Gun shops
2 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Howard County (1 from the ATF licensee list, 1 from OpenStreetMap), plus 11 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: 2 A Sales & Supplies (Jessup).
Liquor stores
67 liquor stores are on the map in Howard County: 103 Wine & Spirits, 108 Deli Wine & Spirits, A+ Liquors, Absolutely Wine Or Spirits, All Saints Liquor (Laurel), Allview Liquors (Ellicott City), Beverage Shop, Cherry's Liquor Store and 59 more. Maryland has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Howard County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Howard County?
Howard County averaged 453 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 1.3 per 1,000 residents, 68% lower than the Maryland rate (4.2). The property-crime rate was 15.3 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Howard County?
$149,763 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $103,678 for Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Howard County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 6,162 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Howard County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Howard County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Is there road construction in Howard County right now?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Howard County (all active that day). Roads listed: US29 and US 29.
How many nursing homes are in Howard County?
7 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Howard County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel County | 598,166 | 3.1 | $124,911 |
| Baltimore County | 850,796 | 4.1 | $91,768 |
| Carroll County | 175,321 | 1.8 | $118,211 |
| Frederick County | 287,048 | 1.9 | $122,002 |
| Montgomery County | 1,065,949 | 1.8 | $132,450 |
| Prince George's County | 959,754 | 3.9 | $101,798 |
Cities in Howard County with their own page: Columbia, Ellicott City.
More: Maryland statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
Home · Open the map · All places · About the data · Privacy · Terms