Charles County, Maryland

Charles County population, land area and income

Charles County had 174,478 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 457.8 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 24 in Maryland by population and 8th by land area. That works out to 381.1 people per square mile, 4.0 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Maryland has 111,399 residents; Charles County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $105,141 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Charles County's population changed since 2020

Charles County gained 7,786 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.7%. That ranks 3rd of 24 in Maryland for growth. The median Maryland county changed by +2.1%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Charles County recorded 7,369 births and 6,117 deaths, a natural change of +1,252. Net international migration added +1,717 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,970. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 4,970 people.

Where Charles County is

The Census internal point of Charles County is at 38.472900, -77.015400. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades Maryland's 24 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Charles County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Charles County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Charles County, 15,621 people together, or 9% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Charles County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is La Plata with 11,374.

Counties bordering Charles County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Charles County, including 5 across a state line. The most populous is Fairfax County, VA, with 1,160,925 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• VA

  Fairfax County, VA

  1,160,925 people

  28 mi NNW

• Prince George's County

  966,629 people

  26 mi NNE

• VA

  Prince William County, VA

  497,003 people

  30 mi WNW

• VA

  Stafford County, VA

  168,919 people

  24 mi W

• St. Mary's County

  116,469 people

  31 mi ESE

• Calvert County

  94,913 people

  26 mi E

• VA

  King George County, VA

  28,816 people

  16 mi SSW

• VA

  Westmoreland County, VA

  19,235 people

  28 mi SSE

Distance to Annapolis and the nearest big city

Annapolis is 45.0 miles NE of Charles County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Alexandria, VA (population 159,102), 24.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is La Plata, MD (population 11,374), 5.5 miles away.

Charles County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Charles County is 24017: state code 24 for Maryland plus county code 017. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $105,141.