Charles County, Maryland Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Charles County, MD Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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A
Income Above averageWealthier than 78% of counties in Maryland
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 170,501 | 6,204,886 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 265.2 | 500.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.25% | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.1 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 60,867 | 2,362,551 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Charles County grew by 29.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 170,501 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Charles County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.2% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Maryland as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 35,957 21.1% +0.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 37,245 21.8% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 39,482 23.2% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 23,650 13.9% -2.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Maryland, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.9% of the people living in Charles County and men 48.1%.
- Women 51.9% Maryland 51.5%
- Men 48.1% Maryland 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Charles County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Charles County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,633 | $103,916 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.75% | 3.98% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Charles County is about 18% higher than in Maryland.
Housing
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $354,268 | $267,101 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,919 | $1,704 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.1% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Charles County is about 15.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,919 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Charles County spend about 80 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 334 hours, about 13.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 40.0 | 28.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 80.1 | 56.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 334 | 236 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $10,344 | $7,301 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 16.4% | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 18,942 | 16,437 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,636 | 2,353 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Maryland:
Talbot County (17.8 min), Allegany County (17.8 min), Wicomico County (18.1 min).
Slowest:
Charles County (40.0 min), Calvert County (33.6 min), Prince George's County (32.5 min).
The average commute time in Charles County is 40 minutes, longer than the 28 minutes in Maryland.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Charles County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.7% | 39.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.78 | 2.57 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Maryland:
Howard County (0.5), Montgomery County (0.5), Talbot County (0.4).
Lowest:
Somerset County (0.2), Caroline County (0.2), Allegany County (0.2).
Health
Charles County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Charles County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.8% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.3% | 15.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Maryland:
Montgomery County (0.8), Howard County (0.8), Frederick County (0.8).
Lowest:
Baltimore city (0.8), Somerset County (0.8), Dorchester County (0.8).
Charles County, MD Compared With Nearby Counties
Charles County, MD is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 170,501 residents against a local median of 236,150. Charles County, MD's commute, at 40.0 min, runs 28% above the 31.2 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 7.1 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Charles County, MD, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Charles County, MD has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles County, MD | 170,501 | $122,633 #2/4 | $354,268 #2/4 | 40.0 min #4/4 |
| King George County, VA | 27,895 | $115,859 | $328,342 | 31.2 min |
| Prince George's County, MD | 959,665 | $102,039 | $344,074 | 32.5 min |
| Arlington County, VA | 236,150 | $141,911 | $370,061 | 25.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Charles County, Maryland.
How big is Charles County, Maryland by population?
About 170,501 people live in Charles County, Maryland, in 60,867 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 37.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Charles County, Maryland urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Charles County, Maryland has 265 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Charles County, Maryland?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($354,268 against $122,633), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,919 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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