Frederick County, Maryland Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Frederick 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.
-
A
Health Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Maryland
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A
Income Above averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Maryland
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A
Education Above averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Maryland
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 287,011 | 6,204,886 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 429.9 | 500.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.08% | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 104,616 | 2,362,551 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Frederick County grew by 28.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 287,011 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Frederick County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.1% of residents. That is 0.2 points below Maryland as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 59,388 20.7% +0.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 63,345 22.1% -0.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 62,545 21.8% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 42,488 14.8% -1.7 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 50.5% of the people living in Frederick County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Maryland 51.5%
- Men 49.5% Maryland 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Frederick County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Frederick County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,719 | $103,916 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.56% | 3.98% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Frederick County is about 18% higher than in Maryland.
Housing
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $429,711 | $267,101 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,773 | $1,704 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.0% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Frederick County is about 20.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,773 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Frederick County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 226 hours, about 9.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.1 | 28.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.1 | 56.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 226 | 236 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,991 | $7,301 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 21.2% | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,661 | 16,437 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,427 | 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 Frederick County is 27 minutes, shorter 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
Frederick County has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40.4% | 39.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.70 | 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
Frederick County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Frederick County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.2% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 12.7% | 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).
Frederick County, MD Compared With Nearby Counties
Frederick County, MD is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 287,011 residents against a local median of 175,325. Nothing separates Frederick County, MD sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 14% above the local median at $429,711 against $378,273. Frederick County, MD has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick County, MD | 287,011 | $122,719 #3/6 | $429,711 #3/6 | 27.1 min #4/6 |
| Carroll County, MD | 175,325 | $118,379 | $443,848 | 32.3 min |
| Montgomery County, MD | 1,065,586 | $132,324 | $378,273 | 30.9 min |
| Washington County, MD | 155,706 | $78,373 | $148,959 | 21.6 min |
| Adams County, PA | 106,097 | $83,650 | $211,932 | 22.7 min |
| Loudoun County, VA | 432,991 | $182,384 | $815,538 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Frederick County, Maryland.
What is the population of Frederick County, Maryland?
About 287,011 people live in Frederick County, Maryland, in 104,616 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Frederick County, Maryland?
Averaged over its land area, Frederick County, Maryland has 430 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Frederick County, Maryland an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($429,711 against $122,719), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,773 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Frederick County, Maryland?
Unemployment in Frederick County, Maryland is only 3.3%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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