You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Maryland.
The median household income in Howard County, the richest county in Maryland is $149,763, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 24 counties in the Old Line State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Maryland? The richest county in Maryland is Howard County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Allegany County, according to the Census data.
$149,763 median income · $636,618 median home price
$132,450 median income · $622,527 median home price
$124,911 median income · $505,792 median home price
$133,922 median income · $483,001 median home price
$122,002 median income · $503,055 median home price
$122,816 median income · $450,316 median home price
$118,211 median income · $490,460 median home price
$112,826 median income · $473,504 median home price
$84,811 median income · $493,297 median home price
$119,446 median income · $417,118 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maryland’s statewide median.
Maryland statewide median: $103,678
Maryland statewide median: $429,705
On the map
Where Maryland’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Maryland county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Maryland, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Maryland for each of the criteria from one to 24, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Maryland.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Old Line State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Maryland. The median Maryland home is 46 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howard County | 336,328 | $149,763 | $636,618 |
| 2 | Montgomery County | 1,065,949 | $132,450 | $622,527 |
| 3 | Anne Arundel County | 598,166 | $124,911 | $505,792 |
| 4 | Calvert County | 94,313 | $133,922 | $483,001 |
| 5 | Frederick County | 287,048 | $122,002 | $503,055 |
| 6 | Charles County | 170,527 | $122,816 | $450,316 |
| 6 | Carroll County | 175,321 | $118,211 | $490,460 |
| 8 | Queen Anne’s County | 51,825 | $112,826 | $473,504 |
| 9 | Talbot County | 37,917 | $84,811 | $493,297 |
| 9 | St. Mary’s County | 115,126 | $119,446 | $417,118 |
| 11 | Prince George’s County | 959,754 | $101,798 | $435,947 |
| 12 | Harford County | 263,757 | $112,265 | $416,736 |
| 13 | Worcester County | 53,700 | $81,745 | $422,344 |
| 14 | Cecil County | 104,960 | $92,007 | $379,572 |
| 15 | Baltimore County | 850,796 | $91,768 | $360,187 |
| 16 | Kent County | 19,346 | $80,147 | $382,205 |
| 17 | Washington County | 155,709 | $77,747 | $327,979 |
| 18 | Caroline County | 33,669 | $68,457 | $328,465 |
| 18 | Garrett County | 28,615 | $67,688 | $333,182 |
| 20 | Wicomico County | 104,914 | $76,210 | $273,211 |
| 21 | Dorchester County | 32,754 | $61,839 | $274,401 |
| 22 | Baltimore city | 573,243 | $62,177 | $234,961 |
| 22 | Somerset County | 24,822 | $64,943 | $204,515 |
| 24 | Allegany County | 67,452 | $59,603 | $151,212 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 24 Maryland counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Maryland For 2026
Living in Maryland can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Maryland are Howard County, Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, Calvert County, Frederick County, Charles County, Carroll County, Queen Anne’s County, Talbot County, and St. Mary’s County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
