2000 Census Records Suburban Growth, Increased Diversity
(March 20, 2001 - Baltimore) -- The Baltimore region's population is growing larger and more diverse, and includes more school-aged children than in 1990. Those are among conclusions reached by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council's MetroResearch unit on examining Census 2000 data for Maryland released on March 19.
The Baltimore region grew to 2,512,000 residents in 2000, representing an increase from 1990 of 7 percent, or 164,000 people. These figures reflect growth throughout the region's suburban jurisdictions. They also show the continued loss of residents in Baltimore City, which was surpassed by Baltimore County in total population. Nevertheless, Baltimore City's population loss was smaller than expected, declining by 11.5 percent, or 84,900 residents. Howard County led the region in population growth with a 32 percent increase. It was followed by Carroll (22.3 percent), Harford (20 percent), Anne Arundel (14 percent) and Baltimore (9 percent) counties.
Baltimore Region Population Change, 1990 to 2000
| Jurisdiction | 1990 | 2000 | Change | Percent Change |
| Baltimore County | 692,134 | 754,292 | 62,158 | 8.98% |
| Baltimore City | 736,014 | 651,154 | (84,860) | (11.53%) |
| Anne Arundel County | 427,239 | 489,656 | 62,417 | 14.61% |
| Howard County | 187,328 | 247,842 | 60,514 | 32.31% |
| Harford County | 182,132 | 218,590 | 36,458 | 20.02% |
| Carroll County | 123,372 | 150,897 | 27,525 | 22.31% |
| Baltimore Region | 2,348,219 | 2,512,431 | 164,212 | 6.99% |
Racial Composition
Most of the region's growth resulted from striking increases in the number of racial and ethnic minorities. From 1990 to 2000 the number of Hispanic residents surged by 80.1 percent, Asian-Americans increased by 66.7 percent, and the black population grew by 13.9 percent. The region's growth was fueled entirely by population gains among the area's racial and ethnic minorities, as the non-Hispanic white population declined from 1,661,000 in 1990 to 1,657,000 in 2000.
Population by Race in the Baltimore Region, 2000
| Jurisdiction | Total | White | Black | American Indian | Asian | Other | Multi- racial | Hispanic |
| Anne Arundel County | 489,656 | 397,789 | 66,428 | 1,455 | 11,535 | 4,164 | 8,285 | 12,902 |
| Baltimore City | 651,154 | 205,982 | 418,951 | 2,097 | 10,207 | 4,363 | 9,554 | 11,061 |
| Baltimore County | 754,292 | 561,132 | 151,600 | 1,923 | 24,189 | 4,685 | 10,763 | 13,774 |
| Carroll County | 150,897 | 144,399 | 3,433 | 330 | 1,162 | 471 | 1,102 | 1,489 |
| Harford County | 218,590 | 189,678 | 20,260 | 498 | 3,442 | 1,500 | 3,212 | 4,169 |
| Howard County | 247,842 | 184,215 | 35,730 | 583 | 19,134 | 2,755 | 5,435 | 7,490 |
| Baltimore Region | 2,512,431 | 1,683,195 | 696,402 | 6,886 | 69,669 | 17,938 | 38,351 | 50,885 |
As the region became more diverse overall, it experienced a number of significant shifts in the distribution of race by jurisdiction. Baltimore City's recent pattern of white population decrease continued, with the decline of almost 82,000 residents, or 28.5 percent. For the first time this century, the city's black population also experienced a net decrease, with the number of black residents falling by 16,700 residents, or 3.8 percent.
Percentage Change by Race in the Baltimore Region, 1990 to 2000
| Jurisdiction | Total | White | Black | American Indian | Asian | Other | Hispanic |
| Anne Arundel County | 14.6% | 8.8% | 31.9% | (10.0%) | 48.8% | 119.6% | 92.4% |
| Baltimore City | (11.5%) | (28.5%) | (3.8%) | (11.6%) | 27.9% | 107.1% | 58.1% |
| Baltimore County | 9.0% | (4.7%) | 78.3% | 22.5% | 60.7% | 151.2% | 80.2% |
| Carroll County | 22.3% | 20.6% | 19.0% | 106.3% | 168.4% | 268.0% | 150.3% |
| Harford County | 20.0% | 16.7% | 30.6% | (6.0%) | 37.0% | 38.6% | 62.9% |
| Howard County | 32.3% | 18.0% | 62.5% | 68.5% | 137.3% | 238.0% | 100.0% |
| Baltimore Region | 7.0% | 0.2% | 13.9% | 4.4% | 66.7% | 127.3% | 80.1% |
Many blacks leaving the city appear to have located in Baltimore County, whose black population grew by 66,600 people, a 78.3 percent increase from 1990. Meanwhile, Baltimore County's white population decreased by 27,500 residents. Together, Baltimore City and County lost 109,400 white residents.
The growth of minority populations was also pronounced in areas closer to the Washington region. In Howard County, the number of black, Asian and Hispanic residents increased by 62.5 percent, 137 percent and 100 percent respectively during the 1990-2000 period. Anne Arundel County's black, Asian and Hispanic populations increased by 31.9 percent, 48.8 percent and 92.4 percent respectively during the decade.
While these numbers suggest definitive changes in the region's racial characteristics, they are not directly comparable with 1990 census figures because of a new census policy allowing individuals to characterize themselves as belonging to more than one race. Regionwide, over 38,000 residents, about 1.5 percent of the region's population, identified themselves as multiracial.
Age Composition
The number of children increased by 12.1 percent regionwide, and the under-18 population comprised 25.3 percent of the region's population in 2000, compared to 24.6 percent of the population in 1990. This group grew faster than the overall population throughout the suburban jurisdictions. Howard County led the region with a 43.4 percent increase in its under-18 population, followed by 27.3 percent in Carroll, 25.0 percent in Harford, 17.7 percent in Baltimore County and 17.4 percent in Anne Arundel. Baltimore County was the only jurisdiction with a declining number of children, although this decrease was slightly less than the overall rate of decline. The regional increase in the number of school-age children reflects the effect of the mini-baby boomlet, which began in the early 1980s and peaked in the early 1990s.
Change in Number of Children Under 18, 1990 to 2000
| Jurisdiction | 1990 Children Under 18 | 2000 Children Under 18 | Change | Percent Change |
| Anne Arundel County | 105,306 | 123,636 | 18,330 | 17.41% |
| Baltimore County | 151,489 | 178,363 | 26,874 | 17.74% |
| Carroll County | 32,862 | 41,838 | 8,976 | 27.31% |
| Harford County | 48,782 | 60,965 | 12,183 | 24.97% |
| Howard County | 48,504 | 69,543 | 21,039 | 43.38% |
| Baltimore City | 180,043 | 161,353 | (18,690) | (10.38%) |
| Baltimore Region | 566,986 | 635,698 | 68,712 | 12.12% |
Howard County claimed the highest share of population under the age of 18 in 2000, with over 28 percent of residents falling into this group. It was trailed closely by Harford at 27.9 percent, Carroll at 27.7 percent, Anne Arundel at 25.3 percent, Baltimore City at 24.8 percent and Baltimore County at 23.7 percent.
Percentage of Population Under 18, 1990 and 2000
| Jurisdiction | 1990 | 2000 |
| Anne Arundel County | 24.65% | 25.25% |
| Baltimore County | 21.89% | 23.65% |
| Carroll County | 26.64% | 27.73% |
| Harford County | 26.78% | 27.89% |
| Howard County | 25.89% | 28.06% |
| Baltimore City | 24.46% | 24.78% |
| Baltimore Region | 24.15% | 25.30% |
"The Baltimore region population shifts reinforce the notion that better planning for growth in our region is in the best interest of all of our jurisdictions," said Harford County Executive James Harkins, who serves as Chair of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. "By doing so, we are making Baltimore City and all the member counties better places to live"
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 December 2008 05:34