| County | Rank | Change (2020) ↓ | 2026 Pop. | 2020 Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick County | 1 | 13.51% | 309,643 | 272,787 |
| Queen Anne's County | 2 | 11.33% | 55,700 | 50,033 |
| Charles County | 3 | 7.32% | 178,898 | 166,692 |
| Caroline County | 4 | 5.38% | 35,068 | 33,277 |
| Montgomery County | 5 | 4.45% | 1,108,025 | 1,060,856 |
| Somerset County | 6 | 4.35% | 25,635 | 24,567 |
| Wicomico County | 7 | 4.11% | 107,817 | 103,563 |
| St. Mary's County | 8 | 3.9% | 118,449 | 114,006 |
| Worcester County | 9 | 3.87% | 54,553 | 52,522 |
| Cecil County | 10 | 3.62% | 107,563 | 103,805 |
| Kent County | 11 | 3.48% | 19,789 | 19,124 |
| Howard County | 12 | 3.46% | 344,322 | 332,821 |
| Dorchester County | 13 | 3.22% | 33,570 | 32,523 |
| Washington County | 14 | 3.09% | 159,452 | 154,677 |
| Talbot County | 15 | 2.87% | 38,598 | 37,522 |
| Carroll County | 16 | 2.86% | 177,854 | 172,910 |
| Calvert County | 17 | 2.33% | 95,083 | 92,921 |
| Anne Arundel County | 18 | 2.31% | 607,120 | 593,412 |
| Prince George's County | 19 | 2.22% | 986,821 | 965,398 |
| Harford County | 20 | 2.2% | 267,000 | 261,245 |
| Baltimore County | 21 | 0.77% | 859,923 | 853,338 |
| Allegany County | 22 | -1.84% | 66,699 | 67,950 |
| Garrett County | 23 | -2.16% | 28,175 | 28,797 |
| Baltimore city | 24 | -2.3% | 569,779 | 583,189 |
Maryland's counties show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2026. Frederick County leads with 2.13% annualized growth, followed by Queen Anne's County (1.8%) and Charles County (1.18%). The largest counties are Montgomery County (1,108,025), Prince George's County (986,821), and Baltimore County (859,923). Of the 24 counties in Maryland, 21 are growing while 3 have experienced population decline. Overall, counties averaged 0.57% annualized growth, with total population growing by 0.47% annually.
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