Frederick County, Maryland Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Frederick County is located in Maryland with a total population of 287,048. It is the 7th most populous county out of 24 in Maryland. The county encompasses 28 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Frederick County is 39.0 years. This is 1% lower than the state median of 39.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Frederick County is $122,002. This is 18% higher than the state median of $103,678. It is also 51% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 6.0%. This is 37% lower than the state poverty rate of 9.4%. The unemployment rate is 3.3%. This is 32% lower than the state rate of 4.9%. The median home value is $464,600. Housing costs are 11% higher than the state median of $419,900. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.8x. 77.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 14% higher than the state average of 67.6%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Frederick County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 65.7% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 12.9%. The Black or African American population (10.1%) is well below the state average of 28.9%.

Education

45.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 5% higher than the state rate of 43.5%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 93.4%. Notably, 20.5% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Frederick County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Maryland and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.