Metro area · Maryland

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is a metropolitan area of 7 counties in Maryland, home to 2,857,781 residents. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area has a quality-of-life score of 69 out of 100 (high), ranking #285 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Maryland it ranks #4 of 8. It ranks best on public transit commuters (high), access to exercise opportunities (high) and average weekly wage (high). It ranks worst on average commute time (high), property crime rate (high) and drug overdose deaths (high).

69High
Quality-of-life score
#285 of 925 metro and micro areas
Maryland
#4 of 8 in MD
Population
2,857,781 (2025)
Land area
2,601 mi²
Density
1,098.5 /mi²
CBSA code
12580

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety18#756/924
  • Economy88#113/925
  • Housing22#724/925
  • Health82#169/925
  • Healthcare96#40/923
  • Environment25#686/917
  • Education90#92/925
  • Infrastructure80#186/925
  • Community52#449/925
  • Leisure & amenities70#277/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

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.

Metro and micro areas like Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area 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.

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).

Income

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

Homes

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

Getting to work

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

Jobs and pay

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

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.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Baltimore CountyCentral county64847,650
  2. Anne Arundel CountyCentral county87603,380
  3. Baltimore cityCentral county32569,997
  4. Howard CountyCentral county96339,183
  5. Harford CountyOutlying county87266,446
  6. Carroll CountyOutlying county89176,677
  7. Queen Anne's CountyOutlying county8054,448

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. BaltimorePrincipal city573,243
  2. ColumbiaPrincipal city104,338
  3. TowsonPrincipal city58,679

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Baltimore573,243
  2. Columbia104,338
  3. Ellicott City75,257
  4. Glen Burnie72,590
  5. Dundalk65,969
  6. Towson58,679
  7. Severn58,402
  8. Bel Air South58,137
  9. Odenton45,002
  10. Catonsville43,368
  11. Annapolis40,720
  12. Essex40,580
  13. Woodlawn40,379
  14. Severna Park40,228
  15. Owings Mills37,245
  16. Randallstown35,957
  17. Pasadena34,309
  18. Pikesville33,524
  19. Middle River31,712
  20. Eldersburg31,695
  21. Bel Air North31,302
  22. Milford Mill30,829
  23. Parkville30,549
  24. Crofton29,549

Other metro and micro areas in Maryland

Areas based in Maryland, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

JSON · /api/v1/places/M12580