Frederick County, Maryland facts for kids

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Frederick County

County

Downtown Frederick with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance in June 2014

Flag

Seal

Nicknames:

"Frederick", "FredCo"

Location of Frederick County in Maryland

Country

United States

State

Maryland

Founded

June 10, 1748

County seat

Frederick

Area

• Total

667 sq mi (1,730 km²)

• Land

660 sq mi (1,700 km²)

• Water

7.2 sq mi (19 km²)

Population

(2020)

• Total

271,717

• Density

407.37/sq mi (157.29/km²)

Time zone

Eastern (EST)

• Summer (DST)

EDT

ZIP Codes

21701, 21702, 21703, 21704, 21705, 21709

Area codes

301, 240

Congressional districts

6th

Website

http://www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/

Frederick County is a county located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick.

Frederick County is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Like other outlying sections of the Washington metropolitan area, Frederick County has experienced a rapid population increase since the 1980s. It borders the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia.

Catoctin Mountain Park in the county is the location of Camp David, a U.S. presidential retreat, and Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army base.

Etymology
History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Economy
Communities
Education
Notable people
See also

Etymology

The namesake of Frederick County and its county seat is unknown, but it was probably either Frederick, Prince of Wales, or Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore.

History

Frederick County was created in 1748 by the Province of Maryland from parts of Prince George's County and Baltimore County.

In 1776, following US independence, Frederick County was divided into three parts. The westernmost portion became Washington County, named after George Washington, the southernmost portion became Montgomery County, named after another Revolutionary War general, Richard Montgomery. The northern portion remained Frederick County.

In 1837, a part of Frederick County was combined with a part of Baltimore County to form Carroll County which is east of current day Frederick County.

The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 667 square miles (1,730 km²), of which 660 square miles (1,700 km²) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the largest county in Maryland in terms of land area.

Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the Appalachian Mountains. The county's two prominent ridges, Catoctin Mountain and South Mountain, form an extension of the Blue Ridge. The Middletown Valley lies between them.

Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a monument to Francis Scott Key, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Monocacy National Battlefield and South Mountain battlefields, and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.

Adjacent counties

Adams County, Pennsylvania (north)
Carroll County (east)
Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northwest)
Montgomery County (south)
Washington County (west)
Loudoun County, Virginia (southwest)

National protected areas

Major highways

I-70 and US 40 in Frederick County

I-70
I-270
US 15
US 15 Bus.
US 40
US 40 Alt.
US 340
MD 17
MD 26
MD 27
MD 28
MD 31
MD 75
MD 76
MD 77
MD 79
MD 80
MD 85
MD 144
MD 180
MD 194
MD 355
MD 355 Bus.
MD 550

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	30,791	—
1800	31,523	2.4%
1810	34,437	9.2%
1820	40,459	17.5%
1830	45,789	13.2%
1840	36,405	−20.5%
1850	40,987	12.6%
1860	46,591	13.7%
1870	47,572	2.1%
1880	50,482	6.1%
1890	49,512	−1.9%
1900	51,920	4.9%
1910	52,673	1.5%
1920	52,541	−0.3%
1930	54,440	3.6%
1940	57,312	5.3%
1950	62,287	8.7%
1960	71,930	15.5%
1970	84,927	18.1%
1980	114,792	35.2%
1990	150,208	30.9%
2000	195,277	30.0%
2010	233,385	19.5%
2020	271,717	16.4%
2023 (est.)	293,391	25.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 2020

Frederick County has experienced a rapid increase in population since the 1980s, including that of minority groups.

2020 census

**Frederick County, Maryland – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	181,645	183,636	77.83%	67.58%
Black or African American alone (NH)	19,611	27,007	8.40%	9.94%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	512	401	0.22%	0.15%
Asian alone (NH)	8,876	13,427	3.80%	4.94%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	92	154	0.04%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	405	1,445	0.17%	0.53%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	5,109	13,528	2.19%	4.98%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17,135	32,119	7.34%	11.82%
Total	233,385	271,717	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 233,385 people, 84,800 households and 61,198 families residing in the county. The population density was 353.5 per square mile (136.5/km²). There were 90,136 housing units at an average density of 136.5 per square mile (52.7/km²). The racial make-up of the county was 81.5% white, 8.6% black or African American, 3.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.9% from other races and 2.8% from two or more races. The total (all races) of those self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.3%, and those persons who were white alone made up 77.8% of the population. 26.3% of the population cited German ancestry, 17.4% Irish, 12.1% English, 7.2% Italian, and 6.3% American.

Of the 84,800 households, 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.8% were non-families, and 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 38.6 years.

The median household income was $81,686 and the median family income was $95,036. Males had a median income of $62,494 and females $46,720. The per capita income was $35,172. About 3.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The U.S. Census Bureau reported the following data for Frederick County, June 6, 2011.

Metric	Frederick County	Maryland
Per capita money income in past 12 months (2013 dollars), 2009-2013	$36,917	$36,354
Median household income, 2009-2013	$84,570	$73,538
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2009-2013	6.1%	9.8%
Private nonfarm establishments, 2013	5,955	135,4211
Private nonfarm employment, 2013	83,799	2,182,2601
Private nonfarm employment, percent change, 2012-2013	1.1%	1.4%
Nonemployer establishments, 2012	16,843	442,314
Total number of firms, 2007	21,430	528,112
Black-owned firms, percent	5.9%	19.3%
Asian-owned firms, percent	3.3%	6.8%
Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2007	3.6%	4.9%
Women-owned firms	31.1%	32.6%
Manufacturers shipments, 2007 ($1000)	3,003,696	41,456,097
Merchant wholesaler sales, 2007 ($1000)	1,252,142	51,276,797
Retail sales, 2007 ($1000)	3,066,281	75,664,186
Retail sales per capita, 2007	$13,629	$13,429
Accommodation and food services sales, 2007 ($1000)	356,482	10,758,428
Building permits, 2013	1,220	17,918

According to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the following are the principal employers in Frederick County. This list excludes U.S. post offices and state and local governments, but includes public institutions of higher education.

Employer	Employees (Nov. 2014)
Fort Detrick (including Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research)	4,600
Frederick Memorial Healthcare System	2,696
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage	1,881
Leidos Biomedical Research	1,836
Bechtel	1,578
Frederick Community College	1,055
State Farm Insurance	900
Walmart/Sam's Club	700
AstraZeneca	595
Lonza Walkersville	520
Hood College	519
Mount St. Mary's University	511
UnitedHealthcare	500
McDonald's	499
Giant Food	490
Way Station	480
Costco Wholesale	452
Life Technologies	450
NVR	450
Wegmans Food Markets	445
Home Depot	444
Plamondon Companies	400
Stulz Air Technology Systems	375
Weis Markets	363
RR Donnelley	359
YMCA of Frederick County	350
Canam Steel	333
Giant Eagle	330
Homewood Retirement Centers	300
Toys "R" Us	260
Trans-Tech	260

Frederick County leads Maryland in milk production; the county's dairy herds account for one-third of the state's total. However, the dairy market is unstable, and the county, like the state more broadly, has lost dairy farms.