Maryland · Baltimore City County

Baltimore Authority

Population

573,243

Median income

$62,177

Median age

36

Figures from U.S. Census ACS — each figure links to its source query.

Also known as: Baltimore Metro Authority

Baltimore is one of the few American cities that is also, legally speaking, its own county, a distinction that turns out to matter more than it sounds once you start reading Maryland statutes. The Maryland Code makes this explicit in several places: certain local-government titles apply to "all counties except Baltimore City," while others apply to "all county boards including Baltimore City," and at least one title "does not apply to Baltimore City" at all, per codes_db_md. The city occupies a category of its own, which is either a point of civic pride or a source of administrative complexity, depending on whom you ask.

Population and Demographics

According to Census ACS 5-Year 2024 data, Baltimore has a total population of 573,243, a figure that places it among the larger cities on the Eastern Seaboard while also reflecting decades of gradual population change. The median age is 36.2 years, and children under 18 account for 20.9 percent of residents, a share that Census ACS characterizes as giving the city a family-oriented demographic character.

The racial and ethnic composition, per Census ACS 5-Year 2023, includes 346,535 Black or African American residents, 158,163 white residents, 45,420 Hispanic or Latino residents, and 14,620 Asian residents, out of 573,243 total. There are 250,608 total households, of which 118,149 are family households.

Housing and Affordability

Derived from Census income, housing, and poverty data, the home-price-to-income ratio in Baltimore stands at 3.7, a level characterized as moderate affordability. Renters spend an average of 24.9 percent of income on housing costs, a figure that falls within what the same source classifies as affordable. These numbers describe a city that, relative to many coastal urban centers, has not yet crossed into the territory where housing costs consume the majority of household budgets, though the picture varies considerably by neighborhood.

Air Quality

The EPA's air quality index data for 2024 recorded 366 days of monitoring in Baltimore. Of those, 240 were classified as good days and 121 as moderate. Five days fell into the unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups category. There were no days classified as unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous, and the maximum AQI recorded was 115, per the air quality facts derived from EPA AQI data.

Climate

The nearest reliable weather station, the Maryland Science Center, sits approximately 2.4 miles from the city center. According to NOAA ACIS data, Baltimore's average temperature is 59.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and annual precipitation averages 37.7 inches. These figures describe a mid-Atlantic climate: warm summers, cold winters, and a fair amount of rain distributed across the year without the dramatic seasonal extremes of more continental cities.

Broadband Access

As of June 2025, according to FCC Broadband Data Collection figures, Baltimore has 316,536 housing units with broadband coverage. Full coverage, meaning 100 percent of units, is reported at the 25/3 Mbps, 100/20 Mbps, and 250/25 Mbps service tiers. At the 1,000/100 Mbps tier, coverage reaches 95.9 percent of units. For a city of Baltimore's age and density, that figure at the highest tier is notable.

Education

Baltimore is home to 23 colleges and universities, per NCES IPEDS 2022 data. Among them, the Community College of Baltimore County reports in-state tuition of $4,432 and out-of-state tuition of $11,010, with an enrollment of 13,872 students and a completion rate reported in the College Scorecard data. The range of institutions spans community colleges, research universities, and specialized professional schools, a breadth that reflects the city's long history as a regional educational center.

There are 487 licensed childcare centers operating in Baltimore, per state facility records, ranging from large center-based operations to smaller specialized programs.

Civic and Cultural Infrastructure

Baltimore has 26 registered arts organizations, according to IRS Exempt Organizations data. These include the Baltimore Concert Opera Inc., Maryland Opera Inc., Strand Theater Company Inc., and Future Symphony Corporation, among others. The presence of multiple opera organizations in a single city is the kind of thing that seems surprising until you remember that Baltimore has been a serious music city for well over a century.

Animal welfare is represented by four registered rescue and shelter organizations, per IRS EO BMF data: Maryland SPCA Inc., Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue Inc., Passport Animal Rescue Incorporated, and Smitten Kitten Animal Rescue Inc.

Civic service organizations number 12, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore, located at 1201 S Sharp St, and the United Way of Central Maryland, per IRS data.

The IRS Exempt Organizations BMF identifies 828 religious congregations operating in Baltimore, a count that reflects the city's dense, neighborhood-by-neighborhood religious geography, where churches have historically served as anchors of community life.

The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce Inc. is the registered chamber of commerce, per IRS Exempt Organizations BMF.

Nearby Attractions

There are 87 recorded attractions in and near Baltimore, per the attractions data. Among the closest are the Great Blacks In Wax Museum, approximately 0.4 miles from the city center, and the Lovely Lane Museum Library, approximately 0.7 miles away. The Baltimore Museum of Art is also among the nearby institutions.

Zoning and Land Use

Baltimore County's zoning framework, which governs the county jurisdiction surrounding the independent city, traces its formal origins to regulations adopted on March 30, 1955. Per municode, those regulations, as subsequently amended, remain in full force and effect, with the county code controlling in any case of conflict between the Baltimore County Zoning Regulations and the broader provisions of the zoning title. Interpretation and enforcement fall to the Director of Permits, Approvals and Inspections, who is charged with ensuring that uses, buildings, structures, landscaping, roads, and streets conform to county-approved plans, per municode § 32-3-102.

Civil penalties for zoning violations are available after inspection by the Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections, which holds both enforcement authority and the power to enter open land during inspections, per municode § 32-3-602. The distinction between Baltimore City and Baltimore County matters here: the city operates under its own separate regulatory framework, while the county code applies to the surrounding jurisdiction.

Financial Services

FDIC branch data identifies multiple bank branches serving Baltimore, including a Truist Bank Anchor Square Branch at 6520 Eastern Ave (ZIP 21224) and a Rosedale Bank Overlea Branch at 6708 Belair Rd, among others.

Further Reading

• Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates — https://data.census.gov
• NCES, Common Core of Data 2022 — https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/
• Municode, Baltimore County Maryland Municipal Code — https://library.municode.com/md/woodlawn-cdp-baltimore-county-maryland