Data provides detailed demographic characteristics of Montgomery County by Council District and countywide
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has compiled and released demographic data about the five County Council districts in Montgomery County to provide a detailed snapshot of demographic characteristics in each district and countywide.
“These Council district profiles provide useful and illuminating data not only for the County Council, but also for community members, local organizations, businesses and other stakeholders who can use this data to inform services to the communities of Montgomery County,” says Caroline McCarthy, who leads Montgomery Planning’s Research and Special Projects Division, which prepared the profiles.
The snapshot, in both report and downloadable table format, provides detailed data on population characteristics, including age, race, educational attainment, housing costs, household income, commuting and other factors. Data for the demographic profiles was compiled from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey from the United States Census Bureau.
The demographic profiles reveal differences between Council districts and compares each district’s profile to countywide data. Key findings include:
- District 1 is the most highly educated, with 50.2 percent of residents having a graduate or professional degree, compared to 31.5 percent countywide.
- District 2 has the highest percentage of children, with 26.8 percent of its population being under 18, compared to 23.6 percent countywide.
- District 3 has the highest percentage of residents who moved within the past year, 14.6 percent compared to 12.8 percent countywide.
- District 4 has the largest average household size, 3.04 compared to 2.77 countywide.
- District 5 has the lowest average monthly homeowner housing cost of $1,981, compared to $2,270 countywide.
Population growth in three areas has outpaced the county’s rate of growth of 5.6 percent since 2010. The greatest increase occurred in District 2 where the number of residents rose by 6.7 percent between 2010 and 2016. In addition, District 5 grew by 6.5 percent and District 3 increased by 6.4 percent during the same time frame. Each of these Districts gained more than 12,500 residents between 2010 and 2016.
The most populous area, with 210,264 residents, is District 3 in the center of the county where Rockville and Gaithersburg are located. The district with the smallest population is District 4 in the eastern part of the county bordering Howard County where 199,959 residents live.
“The data illustrates the defining characteristics of each of the Council Districts and the broad diversity across the county,” says Pamela Zorich, Research Coordinator for the Research and Special Projects Division, who compiled the data.
Current boundaries for the Council districts were adopted in 2011 and are redrawn every 10 years according to total population counts by election precinct from the United States Decennial Census. The Charter of Montgomery County requires the Council Districts to be compact, contiguous and substantially equal in population.
More information and links to the demographic profiles are available on Montgomery Planning’s Research website. The County Council offers an interactive map for residents interested in locating their Council Districts.
Montgomery Planning’s Research and Special Projects Division is currently working on a comprehensive report of trends in Montgomery County that looks at demographic, housing and employment changes since the 1990s as part of its initial work to update the General Plan. The report will be released in early 2019.
For more information, contact Pamela Zorich of the Research and Special Projects Division at tel. 301-650-5639 or pamela.zorich@montgomeryplanning.org