Frederick County, Maryland
The largest of Maryland's 24 counties by land area.
CountyFIPS 24021
- Population
- 302,883
- +30,116 (+11.0%) since 2020
- Land area
- 660.6
- square miles. A further 1.0% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 458
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Frederick
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1748
- 277 years ago
- Largest city
- Frederick city
- Population 92,059.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Frederick County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Frederick County ranks
Position among the 24 counties of Maryland, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Maryland | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 302,883 | 7th of 24 | 245th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 660.6 sq mi | 1st of 24 | 1,422nd of 3,144 |
| Population density | 458 per sq mi | 8th of 24 | 308th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $122,002 | 6th of 24 | 50th of 3,143 |
Full data for Frederick County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 302,883 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 272,767 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 271,710 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 660.6 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 6.8 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 667.4 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 458 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $122,002 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $464,600 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 39.0 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 104,635 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 108,924 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- +1,107
- 3,160 births, 2,053 deaths
- Net migration
- +2,910
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 7 areas bordering Frederick County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County | Maryland | 47 mi | 176,677 |
| Washington County | Maryland | 34 mi | 157,731 |
| Montgomery County | Maryland | 18 mi | 1,074,582 |
| Loudoun County | Virginia | 16 mi | 449,749 |
| Adams County | Pennsylvania | 13 mi | 107,594 |
| Franklin County | Pennsylvania | 0.5 mi | 160,652 |
| Howard County | Maryland | 266 ft | 339,183 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 24 counties of Maryland
Open the interactive Maryland county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Allegany County
- Anne Arundel County
- Baltimore city
- Baltimore County
- Calvert County
- Caroline County
- Carroll County
- Cecil County
- Charles County
- Dorchester County
- Frederick County
- Garrett County
- Harford County
- Howard County
- Kent County
- Montgomery County
- Prince George's County
- Queen Anne's County
- Somerset County
- St. Mary's County
- Talbot County
- Washington County
- Wicomico County
- Worcester County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.