Washington County, Maryland

Washington County population, land area and income

Washington County had 157,228 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 457.8 square miles of land. It ranks 11th of 24 in Maryland by population and 9th by land area. That works out to 343.5 people per square mile, 3.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,685 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Washington County's population changed since 2020

Washington County gained 2,551 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.6%. That ranks 17th 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, Washington County recorded 6,809 births and 8,265 deaths, a natural change of -1,456. Net international migration added +1,065 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,909. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,909 people.

Where Washington County is

The Census internal point of Washington County is at 39.603600, -77.814700. 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 Washington County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Washington County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Washington County, 55,854 people together, or 36% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Washington County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Hagerstown with 43,909.

Counties bordering Washington County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Washington County, including 6 across a state line. The most populous is Loudoun County, VA, with 443,380 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• VA

  Loudoun County, VA

  443,380 people

  37 mi SSE

• Frederick County

  299,317 people

  24 mi ESE

• PA

  Franklin County, PA

  159,285 people

  23 mi NNE

• WV

  Berkeley County, WV

  136,287 people

  16 mi SW

• Allegany County

  67,097 people

  47 mi W

• WV

  Jefferson County, WV

  61,264 people

  21 mi S

• WV

  Morgan County, WV

  17,780 people

  24 mi W

• PA

  Fulton County, PA

  14,452 people

  27 mi NW

Distance to Annapolis and the nearest big city

Annapolis is 82.9 miles ESE of Washington County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Washington, DC (population 702,250), 64.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Hagerstown, MD (population 43,909), 5.5 miles away.

Washington County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Washington County is 24043: state code 24 for Maryland plus county code 043. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,685.