Census Demographics

Indicators featured in the Census Demographic section of Vital Signs describe the characteristics of residents who live in Baltimore’s neighborhoods. This chapter provides indicators for the following areas: 

• Population 
• Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity 
• Age 
• Income and Poverty 

Population data is the backbone of the Vital Signs report, representing the most basic and fundamental information that communities need to plan for the future and to respond to community level needs. Not surprisingly, this information is also some of the most challenging to capture year-to-year. Neighborhoods are ever changing places – people move, start families, send children away to college or job-training opportunities, and welcome relatives into their household. This constant flux makes counting and understanding neighborhood characteristics challenging.  

In the United States, there are two primary tools that collect general and standardized demographic and sociodemographic data about residents. These tools are the decennial census and the American Community Survey (ACS), both administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent census took place in 2020. This survey provides an official population count and tracks basic demographic data. The ACS is an ongoing, continuous survey of a sample of residents. The tool asks questions on a wider number of topics than the census and provides estimates of the social and economic characteristics of the population. These estimates aid understanding of local issues. When paired together, the data collected by the Census and ACS make sense of population and community change. 

Responses collected by the ACS are averaged over 5 years of data collection and comparisons over time can only be made with non-overlapping years. The advantage of using multiyear estimates is greater statistical reliability for smaller areas or population subgroups – a necessity for understanding Baltimore neighborhoods. 

Many of Vital Signs indicators are normalized by population so that rates are comparable across Community Statistical Areas (CSAs). This makes population one of the most important indicators in our repository. Based on the 2020 Census, the largest CSAs in terms of population size are Cedonia/Frankford (22,455), Hampden/Remington (17,733), North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (17,262), and Midtown (17,099). The smallest CSAs are Dickeyville/Franklintown (3,672), Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (4,728), and Harbor East/Little Italy (5,027).  

These CSAs are also the highest and lowest CSAs with respect to total male population. The same is true for the total female population, with the exception that North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland has slightly larger female population than Hamden/Remington. 

Like population size, the CSAs vary by total number of households, and some indicators are normalized by households so that rates and percentages can be compared uniformly. CSAs, in terms of number of households, are different from the ones for population size, since households can range from a single person to large families. During 2018-2022, the largest CSAs in terms of number of households are Cedonia/Frankford (10,074), Midtown (9,277), Hampden/Remington (8,371). The smallest CSAs are Madison/East End (2,086), Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (2,086), and Dickeyville/Franklintown (2,144). 

During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage of households with children were Cherry Hill (44.4%), Southeastern (44.4%), and Madison/East End (41.2%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Downtown/Seton Hill (6.4%) and Midtown (7%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households with children under 18 decreased from 25.7% to 23.0%. During that time, the CSAs that experienced the largest decreases in the percentage of households with children were Harbor East (-17.4%) and Orchard Ridge/Armistead (-16.8%). The CSAs with the largest increases in the percentage of households with children were Howard Park/West Arlington (9.6%), Southeastern (8.6%), and Cherry Hill (5.5%). 

During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage of households with children under 18 that were female-headed were Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (88.3%), Harbor East/Little Italy (87.5%), and Upton/Druid Heights (85.1%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Cross-County/Cheswolde (9.9%), Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (10.9%), and North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (14.1%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households with children under 18 that were female-headed declined by 2.6% from 52.5% to 49.8%. During that time period, the CSAs that experienced the largest decreases in the percentage of households with children that were female-headed were Forest Park/Walbrook (-34.8%), Madison/East End (-26.8%), and Oldtown/Middle East (-16.7%). The CSAs with the largest increases in the percentage of households with children that were female-headed were Highlandtown (29.4%) and The Waverlies (19.4%). 

The Census asks two questions for respondents to identify race (white, black, Asian, two or more, or other) and ethnicity separately (Hispanic or Non-Hispanic). Vital Signs 22 reports race for non-Hispanic persons separately from Hispanic population by CSA. 

During 2018-2022 the CSAs with the highest percentage of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans were Greater Rosemont (97.2%), Edmonson Village (96.1 %), and Midway/Coldstream (95.6%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage non-Hispanic Black/African American population in Baltimore declined by 1.6% from 62.3% to 60.7%. The CSAs with the largest decreases in the percentage non-Hispanic Black/African American population were Madison/East End (-11%), Oldtown Middle East (-9.7%), and Forest Park/Walbrook (-8.1%). The CSAs with the largest increases in the percentage non-Hispanic Black/African American population were Downtown/Seton Hill (15.5%), Claremont/Armisted (8.3%), and Cherry Hill (7.5%). 

During 2018-2022 the CSAs with the highest percentage non-Hispanic White population were South Baltimore (84%), Canton (78.1%), and Hamden/Remington (75.3%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage non-Hispanic White population in Baltimore declined slightly from 27.6% to 27.0%. The CSAs with the largest decreases in the percentage non-Hispanic White population were Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (-13.0%), Downtown/Seton Hill (-11.7%), and Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (-11.0%). The CSAs with the largest increases in the percentage non-Hispanic White population were Harbor East/Little Italy (14.6 %) and Greektown/Bayview (4.8%). 

During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage Asian population were Greater Charles Village, (10.6%), Downtown/Seton Hill (9.8%), and North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (8.3%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 the percentage Asian population in Baltimore stayed the same. The CSAs with the largest increases in the percentage Asian population were Highlandtown (2.9%) and Orchard Ridge/Armistead (2.4%). The CSAs with the largest decreases in the percentage Asian population were Downtown/Seton Hill (-6.4%) and Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (-3.3%).  

During between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage Hispanic population were Greektown/Bayview (36.8%), Southeastern (36%), and Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (27.1%).  

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the Hispanic population in Baltimore increased from 5% to 5.9%. During this period, The CSAs with the largest increases in the Hispanic population were Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (19.7%) and Southeastern (10.4%). The CSAs with the largest decreases in the Hispanic population were Harbor East/Little Italy (-9.9%) and Cherry Hill (-4.1%). 

To measure overall diversity across all communities, Vital Signs includes the racial diversity index, which measures the chance of choosing two people at random in a neighborhood and each being a different race or ethnicity.  

The CSAs with the greatest racial diversity were Southeastern (89.7), Greektown/Bayview (87.4), and Brooklyn/Curtis Bay/Hawkins Point (83.3). The CSAs with the lowest racial diversity were Greater Rosemont (5.9), Midway/Coldstream (8.7), and Edmondson Village (10.2). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, Baltimore’s overall racial diversity index increased from 55.9 to 60.7. The CSAs with the largest increases in racial diversity were Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (+26.2), Forest Park/Walbrook (+22), and Canton (+21.1). The CSAs with the largest decreases in racial diversity were Cherry Hill (-17.4), Midway/Coldstream (-8.5), and The Waverlies (-8.2).  

Population age groups in Vital Signs reflect general “life cycle” ranges from under 5 years old, school-age, college-age, working-age, and seniors.  

From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022, the percentage of the population under 5 years old in Baltimore decreased slightly from 6.6% to 6.1%. During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage of the population under 5 years old were Cherry Hill (11.9%), Forest Park/Walbrook (10.8%), and Cross-Country/Cheswolde (10.7%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Midtown (2.6%), Lauraville (3.1%), and Pigtown/Carroll Park (3.1%). 

From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022, the percentage of the population 5 to 17 years old in Baltimore stayed the same at 14.4%. During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage population 5 to 17 years old were Cherry Hill (27.6%), Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (26%), and Madison/East End (24.3%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Canton (3.6%), Midtown (3.8%), and South Baltimore (4.6%). 

From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022, the percentage of the population 18 to 24 years old in Baltimore declined from 10.4% to 9.4%. During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage population 18 to 24 years old were Greater Charles Village/Barclay (26.4%), North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (25.7%), and Northwood (24.2%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were The Waverlies (2.6%), Mount Washington/Coldspring (4.1%), and Greektown/Bayview (4.5%). 

From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022, the percentage of the population 25 to 64 years old in Baltimore declined slightly from (55.8%) to (55.4%). During 2018-2022, the CSAs with the highest percentage population 25 to 64 years old were Highlandtown (76%), South Baltimore (75.8%), and Canton (74.3%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Cherry Hill (41.2%), North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (41.4%), and Northwood (42.9%). 

From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022, the percentage of the population 65 years old in Baltimore 65 years or older increased from 12.8% to 14.8%. The CSAs with the highest percentage population 65 years old or older were Edmondson Village (21.6%), Dorchester/Ashburton (21.4%), and Pimlico/Arlington/Hilltop (21.3%). The CSAs with the lowest percentage were Downtown/Seton Hill (4.4%), South Baltimore (5.1%), and Highlandtown (6.8%). 

During 2018-2022, the CSA with the greatest median household income was Canton ($149,999) and the lowest was Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market ($24,515). 

Adjusting for inflation the median household income in Baltimore increased from $52,381 during 2013-2017 to $58,294 during 2018-2022.   The CSAs that experienced the greatest increases in adjusted median household income between 2012-2016 and 2018-2022 were North Baltimore/Guilford/Homeland (+$54,821.06), Canton (+$46,717.17), and Harbor East/Little Italy (+$44,171.33). The CSAs that experienced the greatest decreases in adjusted median household income were Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland, (-$4,573.26) and Brooklyn/Curtis Bay/Hawkins Point (,$1,649.19).  ¹  

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 the percentage of family households in Baltimore City living below the poverty line declined from 17.2% to (14.5%. The CSAs with the greatest percentage of families in poverty include Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (50.5%), Cherry Hill (40.3%), Upton/Druid Heights (39%)  ²  . 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 the percentage of children in Baltimore City living below the poverty line declined from 32.9% to 25.8%. The CSAs with the greatest percentage of children living in poverty are Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (70.9%), Westport/Mount Winans/Lakeland (58.5%), and Upton/Druid Heights (56.9%). 

During 2018-2022, 24.4% of the City’s households earned less than $25,000 annually. The CSAs with the greatest percentage of households earning less than $25,000 annually include Poppleton/The Terraces/Hollins Market (50.6%), Upton/Druid Heights (49.6%), Cherry Hill (46.9%).  

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households earning less than $25,000 in Baltimore declined from 29.5% to 24.4%. The CSAs with the greatest decreases were Madison/East End (-16.6%), Southern Park Heights (-16.2%), and Pigtown/Carroll Park (-12.2%). 

During 2018-2022, 39.7% of households in Baltimore City earned more than $75,000 annually. The CSAs with the greatest percentage of households earning more than $75,000 annually include Canton (79.8%), South Baltimore (78%), and Greater Roland Park/Poplar Hill (71.4%). 

Between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, the percentage of households earning more than $75,000 increased in Baltimore from 30.5% to 39.7%. The CSAs with the greatest increases were Harbor East/Little Italy (19.1%), Pigtown/Carroll Park (17.3 %), and Edmondson Village (17.5%).