Census-designated place · Howard County, Maryland

Savage, Maryland

Savage is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, part of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. It has 8,239 residents. Savage, Maryland has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #611 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maryland it ranks #26 of 334 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), suicide rate (low) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), job growth (low) and public libraries (low).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #611 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maryland: #26 of 334 in MD
Population: 8,239 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 3,011.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 2470475

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety74#4,036/15,637
Economy82#2,832/15,631
Housing47#7,927/14,977
Health96#693/15,609
Healthcare97#524/15,650
Environment91#1,401/15,453
Education92#1,264/15,649
Infrastructure82#2,790/15,650
Community84#2,474/15,651
Leisure & amenities64#5,618/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Savage, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Howard County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high185 /100k
100/100Maryland 86 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value
Suicide rate · low4.8 /100k
99/100Maryland 10.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHoward County value
Flu vaccinations · high58.0%
98/100Maryland 48.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value
Life expectancy · high82.9 yrs
97/100Maryland 78.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value
Natural hazard risk · low2.9
96/100Maryland 4.72025Federal Emergency Management AgencyHoward County value
Injury deaths · low48 /100k
96/100Maryland 95 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high266 min
1/100Maryland 246 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHoward County value
Job growth · low-2.0%
13/100Maryland -1.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHoward County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
14/100Maryland 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHoward County value
Average commute time · high24.2 min
20/100Maryland 31.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drought exposure · high71%
22/100Maryland 64%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHoward County value
Property crime rate · high1,450 /100k
31/100Maryland 1,820 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationHoward County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
6,428 (2015-2019) → 8,239 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 10.6% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
43.3% (2015-2019) → 51.8% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Public transit commutersWorsening
8.4% (2015-2019) → 0.8% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
High school diploma or higherWorsening
94.3% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
−5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
38.9% (2015-2019) → 43.5% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Savage, Maryland improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Bachelor's++8.5 points43.3% → 51.8%

Declined1

High school+−5.7 points94.3% → 88.6%

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Savage, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.6 min2015-2019	24.2 min2020-2024	−4.4 min	Within the margin of error	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	43.3%2015-2019	51.8%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	90.8%2015-2019	94.7%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Effective property tax rate	1.38%2015-2019	1.16%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	94.3%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Declined	5%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.3942020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$95,3232015-2019	$116,8952020-2024	+23%	Within the margin of error	39%
Rent as share of income	26.7%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	38.9%2015-2019	43.5%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	39%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Savage, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Savage, Maryland in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Savage, Maryland itself moved −2.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,239 residents (±1,207)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,007 households (±414)

Savage, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k7.8%†235
$25k–50k12%†349
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,007 households (±414)

Savage, Maryland
Maryland share

Own59%1,761
Rent41%†1,246

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−15.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,788 workers (±803)

Savage, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone77%3,665
Carpool2.1%†99
Public transit0.8%†37

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Howard County, the county holding most of Savage's residents.

Howard County has 10,050 employer establishments, 299 for every 10,000 residents (1.20× the US rate of 248; 1.30× Maryland's), with 185,946 paid employees at an average annual pay of $82,905. The Census Bureau also counts 35,620 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 10,050; 35,620 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 299; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 185,946
Average annual pay: $82,905; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Howard County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Computer systems design and related services	1,002	29.8	6.88×More than typical	14,272	$135,596	957
Ambulatory health care services	945	28.1	1.35×More than typical	10,257	$72,687	2,681
Restaurants and other eating places	602	17.9	0.97×About typical	11,638	$24,573	173
Management, scientific and technical consulting	517	15.4	2.29×More than typical	8,004	$112,631	2,301
Specialty trade contractors	514	15.3	0.99×About typical	8,767	$74,438	1,190
Lessors of real estate	402	12	0.97×About typical	2,018	$88,899	3,484
Offices of physicians	314	9.3	1.44×More than typical	3,137	$111,293	589
Limited-service restaurants	302	9	1.12×About typical	4,612	$22,325	101
Architectural, engineering and related services	287	8.5	2.45×More than typical	6,215	$99,734	322
Construction of buildings	273	8.1	1.07×About typical	2,821	$100,974	621
Offices of other health practitioners	255	7.6	1.25×About typical	2,095	$47,101	1,180
Services to buildings and dwellings	232	6.9	1.02×About typical	3,700	$43,463	851

Rank places for an industry Open Howard County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 336,321 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $9.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Savage, Maryland: $1,136 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $9.4M; +88% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,136; US $1,994
Sole-source: 98%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services$8.9M95%
Department of the Air Force$275.5K2.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$144.5K1.5%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$102.3K1.1%
Office of Justice Programs$6,4060.1%
Office of the Chief Financial Officer$3,3720.0%
Federal Communications Commission$3,2840.0%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1,3840.0%

Top recipients

IRON MOUNTAIN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT LLC$8.9M95%
PRODUCTS SUPPORT, LLC$405.3K4.3%
CLASS PRODUCE GROUP LLC$102.3K1.1%
VCLOUD GOV INC.$10.1K0.1%
SMITH EASTERN CORP$4,2620.0%

Spending by fiscal year

3.6MFY2017
1.6MFY2018
1.9MFY2019
14.6MFY2020
15.9MFY2021
6.2MFY2022
3MFY2023
22.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Warehousing and storage · 4931$8.9M95%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$318.8K3.4%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$63.9K0.7%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$55.8K0.6%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$38.4K0.4%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$14K

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Savage, Maryland

AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION$5.3M
VERSATECH INC· Howard County, MD· Other equipment & supplies· Jan 17, 2024 – Feb 12, 2026· 15PTDE24F00000002
AV SUPPORT STAFF FOR THE OTED MM2 BUILDING$771K
VERSATECH INC· Howard County, MD· IT & telecom· Sep 17, 2020 – Nov 30, 2025· 75F40120F80549

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Savage, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

Savage, Maryland's figures are part of those of Howard County, MD ($4.5B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Savage is mostly in Howard County.

See federal money in Howard County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Savage, Maryland is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Sarah ElfrethD-MD-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Howard County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD69

Other cities and towns in Howard County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2470475

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends