The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 12,407 square miles
• Population in 2000: 5,296,486; 86.1% urban; 13.9% rural
• Population in 1990: 4,781,468
• Population Change: Up 10.8% 1990-2000; Up 13.4% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 19th of 50; 1.9% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: Baltimore (628,670); Gaithersburg (57,365); Frederick (56,128); Rockville (55,213); Bowie (53,660)
• Registered Voters: 1,445,538 D (54.6%); 781,509 R (29.5%); 419,592 unaffiliated and minor parties (15.9%)
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 33 D 14 R
• State House of Delegates: 98 D 43 R
• State Legislative Term Limits: No

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 3,286,547 (62.1%) white; 1,464,735 (27.7%) black; 209,738 (4.0%) Asian; 13,312 (0.3%) American Indian; 1,913 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 82,946 (1.6%) two-plus races; 9,379 (0.2%) other; 227,916 (4.3%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 12.5% German, 9.3% Irish, 7.1% English, 4.6% USA, 4.0% Italian
• State Natives: 49.3% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 5.4% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 85.2% English; 5.4% Other Eur.; 5.2% Spanish
• Education: 83.8% high school graduates; 31.4% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 524,230 (13.3%); WWII: (17.6%); Korea: (12.1%); Vietnam: (32.1%); First Gulf War: (12.3%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 0.6% agriculture; 6.9% construction; 7.1% finance; 4.0% information; 12.1% manufacturing; 33.1% professional; 10.5% public administration; 13.3% trade; 12.4% other
• Work Force: 18.1% blue collar; 67.7% white collar; 14.2% gray collar
• Work Sector: 72.1% private; 22.3% government; 5.4% self-employed; 0.2% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.2% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $52,868
  • 8.5% are below the poverty line
  • 11.1% less than $15,000
  • 20.2% $15-35,000
  • 15.4% $35-50,000
  • 35.1% $50-100,000
  • 11.6% $100-150,000
  • 6.5% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $143,300
  • 5.2% less than $50,000
  • 20.6% $50-100,000
  • 47.9% $100-200,000
  • 15.5% $200-300,000
  • 7.7% $300-500,000
  • 3.0% more than $500,000