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;

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.

The City of Baltimore generally possesses the same powers and responsibilities as the counties within the state. It is an entity nearly surrounded by but separate from the County of Baltimore, which has its county seat in Towson.

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.^[4] Maryland's code is 24, which when combined with any county code would be written as 24XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

List of counties


County	FIPS code^[5]	County seat^[2]^[6]	Est.^[2]^[6]	Origin^[2]	Etymology^[2]	Population^[7]	Area^[6]^[7]	Map
Allegany County	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 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	594,582	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	844,703	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	565,239	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	94,728	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	33,593	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	176,639	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	105,672	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	171,973	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	32,879	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	293,391	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	28,423	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	264,644	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	336,001	254 sq mi (658 km²)
Kent County	029	Chestertown	1642	From unorganized territory	The English county of Kent	19,303	414 sq mi (1,072 km²)
Montgomery County	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'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	947,430	498 sq mi (1,290 km²)
Queen Anne's County	035	Centreville	1706	From parts of Talbot County	Anne, Queen of Great Britain	52,508	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	24,910	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	115,281	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	37,823	477 sq mi (1,235 km²)	{{Countyrow \|N=24 \|Num=043 \|Name=Washington \|Seat=Hagerstown \|Data2=1776 \|Data3= From part of Frederick County \|Data4=George Washington, first President of the United States \|Population= 155813\|Area=468\|Data5=[[File:Flag of Washington County, Maryland.png\|Data6=}}
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	104,800	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	54,171	695 sq mi (1,800 km²)

Defunct counties

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, and sister of Anne Arundell, wife of Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

References

^ Brugger, Robert J. (1988). Maryland: A Middle Temperament, 1634–1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-3399-X.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Counties". Maryland Manual Online. 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.
^ "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Maryland QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2024.