ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2020 Census data for the nation on August 12, 2021. The Census shows that the population growth in Maryland over the last decade was driven by minority communities, and Southern Maryland had the second-highest population growth in Maryland.

The census, a Constitutional mandate, is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau every 10 years to count the population. The census counts all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. That data is then used to determine seat distribution in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as how federal funds are often allocated.

“Despite these challenges, the participation of 2.2 million households in the 2020 Census and Maryland’s number nine self-response ranking of all states means critical federal funding for our state over the next ten years,” said Governor Larry Hogan in a press release. “The Census data will also be used for the upcoming redistricting process. Free and fair elections are the foundation of American democracy and it’s time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to end the practice of gerrymandering.”

In this year’s census, the data showed that Maryland’s population took a jump from 5.8 million to 6.1 million people, moving the state from the 19th most populated to the 18th. In light of the pandemic, there was still more population growth.

“We’ve had more births than deaths in Maryland, and we’ve had a portion of that international migration that country had been experiencing happening here in Maryland,” Rob McCord, secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning said.

Some highlights pulled from the Southern Maryland population data include:

  • Southern Maryland saw a 9.6% increase in population. The population went from 340,439 to 373,177. This was second only to the Suburban Washington Region(Montgomery, Prince George’s, Frederick) which had an 11.2% increase in population.
  • Charles County had the largest increase in population with a 13.7% change in population. Its population went from 146,551 to 166,617.
  • St. Mary’s County had the second-largest increase in population with an 8.2% change in population. Its population went from 105,151 to 113,777.
  • Calvert County had a 4.6% population increase. Its population went from 88,737 to 92,783.

As McCord mentioned, this census showed that the growth of minorities drove America’s overall population growth. For the first time in American history, non-Hispanic or non-Latino white Americans make up less than 60% of America’s population.

Specifically in Maryland, it is even more diverse, with non-Hispanic or non-Latino white Americans making up roughly 50% of Maryland’s population. Although, minorities are quickly catching up in Maryland with African Americans, Asians and Hispanics combining to make up about 48.4% of the population. As a result, Maryland, at 67.3% has the highest race, ethnicity and diversity index score out of states on the East Coast in the census.

Maryland’s population might have made a jump, but neighboring states like Virginia and Delaware saw a higher increase in population. Virginia’s population increased 7.9%, and Delaware’s population grew 10.2%. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia’s population went up 14.%.

Since other states saw a more significant increase in population, Maryland will still most likely have eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

States expected to lose Congressional seats ahead of the 2022 elections include California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. States expected to gain one seat or more include Texas, Florida, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, and North Carolina.

Overall, the pandemic slowed down the growth of the population to one of its lowest levels in history, but America still became more diverse and saw a 7.4% increase in population since 2010.

 

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