Harford County, Maryland Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Harford 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.
-
B
Health Around averageHealthier than 74% of counties in Maryland
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A
Income Above average
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Maryland
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 263,722 | 6,204,886 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 501.0 | 500.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.68% | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.0 | 38.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 101,782 | 2,362,551 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Harford County grew by 9.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 263,722 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Harford County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 1.1 points above Maryland as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 51,823 19.7% -0.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 55,738 21.1% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 58,487 22.2% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 45,908 17.4% +0.9 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 50.8% of the people living in Harford County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Maryland 51.5%
- Men 49.2% Maryland 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Harford County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Harford County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,029 | $103,916 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.21% | 3.98% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Harford County is about 9% higher than in Maryland.
Housing
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $406,848 | $267,101 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,585 | $1,704 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.7% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Harford County is about 21.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,585 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Harford County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 254 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.5 | 28.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.0 | 56.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 254 | 236 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,885 | $7,301 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.9% | 19.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 15,145 | 16,437 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,572 | 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 Harford County is 31 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
Harford County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.3% | 39.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.57 | 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
Harford County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Harford County | Maryland Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.8 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.4% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.0% | 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).
Harford County, MD Compared With Nearby Counties
Harford County, MD is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 263,722 residents against a local median of 557,898. The measure that sets Harford County, MD apart most is median home price: $406,848, 66% above the local median of $244,804.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $113,029 against a local median of $92,513, 22% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Harford County, MD is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $188,891 on median home price, so Harford County, MD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Harford County, MD has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harford County, MD | 263,722 | $113,029 #1/4 | $406,848 #1/4 | 30.5 min #4/4 |
| Baltimore County, MD | 850,783 | $92,513 | $326,717 | 25.9 min |
| Cecil County, MD | 104,960 | $93,370 | $137,826 | 25.5 min |
| Lancaster County, PA | 557,898 | $87,635 | $244,804 | 21.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Harford County, Maryland.
How big is Harford County, Maryland by population?
About 263,722 people live in Harford County, Maryland, in 101,782 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Harford County, Maryland?
Averaged over its land area, Harford County, Maryland has 501 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Harford County, Maryland?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($406,848 against $113,029), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,585 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Harford County, Maryland?
Unemployment in Harford County, Maryland is only 3.8%, 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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