Howard County Demographics

A map of Howard County's Population by Race

Howard County, Maryland had a population of 332,317 in 2020. It was 46.7% White, 19.3% Black, 19.9% Asian, 8.2% Hispanic, 0.8% Native American/Other, and 5.1% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Howard County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Howard County is the 6th most populous county of the 24 counties in Maryland.

Howard County's White Population

155,236 residents of Howard County identify as White, or 46.7%. This makes the White share of the population of Howard County roughly similar to the White share of the population of Maryland (47.2% White). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #20 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more White than neighboring Montgomery County (40.6% White), Baltimore County (26.9% White), and District of Columbia County (38% White). Howard County is less White than neighboring Carroll County (84.9% White), and Baltimore County (51.9% White).

Howard County's Black Population

64,018 residents of Howard County identify as Black, or 19.3%. This makes the Black share of the population of Howard County slightly less than the Black share of the population of Maryland (29.1% Black). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #8 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more Black than neighboring Montgomery County (18.1% Black), and Carroll County (3.7% Black). Howard County is less Black than neighboring Baltimore County (57.3% Black), District of Columbia County (40.9% Black), and Baltimore County (29.6% Black).

Howard County's Asian Population

66,073 residents of Howard County identify as Asian, or 19.9%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Howard County larger than the Asian share of the population of Maryland (6.8% Asian). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #1 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more Asian than neighboring Montgomery County (15.3% Asian), Baltimore County (3.6% Asian), Carroll County (2.2% Asian), District of Columbia County (4.8% Asian), and Baltimore County (6.4% Asian).

Howard County's Hispanic Population

27,362 residents of Howard County identify as Hispanic, or 8.2%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Howard County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of Maryland (11.8% Hispanic). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #7 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more Hispanic than neighboring Baltimore County (7.8% Hispanic), Carroll County (4.5% Hispanic), and Baltimore County (7.2% Hispanic). Howard County is less Hispanic than neighboring Montgomery County (20.5% Hispanic), and District of Columbia County (11.3% Hispanic).

Howard County's Native American/Other Population

2,788 residents of Howard County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.8%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Howard County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of Maryland (0.8% Native American/Other). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #3 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Carroll County (0.5% Native American/Other). Howard County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Montgomery County (1% Native American/Other).

Howard County's Multiracial Population

16,840 residents of Howard County identify as Multiracial, or 5.1%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Howard County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of Maryland (4.4% Multiracial). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, Howard County is ranked #6 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Howard County is more Multiracial than neighboring Montgomery County (4.5% Multiracial), Baltimore County (3.6% Multiracial), Carroll County (4.3% Multiracial), District of Columbia County (4.3% Multiracial), and Baltimore County (4.2% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.