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Greater Baltimore

Fast Facts:

  • Greater Baltimore was home to 2,859,024 people and had 1,212,141 housing units in 2024. Since 2010, Greater Baltimore has added an average of 10,400 people and 5,600 housing units per year.
  • Thirty-three percent of households were renters and 52 percent of renters had unaffordable housing costs.
  • Greater Baltimore built 5,974 units in 2025; an estimated 8,178 units are needed annually to meet future housing demand. Cumulatively, Greater Baltimore has produced at least 21,464 units since 2022, short of its 4-year target of 32,712.
  • Greater Baltimore includes the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore, and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne's in Maryland. The cities of Annapolis and Baltimore, and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Howard share housing outcomes data for the HIT.
Sources: Census Population and Housing Unit Estimates, Decennial Census, American Community Survey (2020-24), and the HIT survey of local jurisdictions.
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Policy Status

Solving the region's affordable housing crisis requires a portfolio of policies to preserve existing affordable housing, produce more housing, and protect people from discrimination and displacement.

Right of First Refusal

  • Adopted: The City of Baltimore
  • Adopted: Howard County

Preservation Inventory - Subsidized

  • Adopted: Baltimore County
  • Adopted: Anne Arundel County
  • Adopted: City of Annapolis

Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized

    Rental Assistance Demonstration

    • Adopted: The City of Baltimore
    • Adopted: Anne Arundel County
    • Adopted: City of Annapolis
    • Adopted: Howard County

    Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners

    • Adopted: The City of Baltimore
    • Adopted: Baltimore County
    • Adopted: Anne Arundel County
    • Adopted: Howard County

    Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing

    • Adopted: The City of Baltimore
    • Adopted: Baltimore County
    • Adopted: Anne Arundel County
    • Adopted: Howard County

    Housing Outcomes

    Local jurisdictions submitted data to enable the region to track housing production, preservation, and rental affordability.

    Structural Racism

    Discriminatory actions and racist public policies have produced inequitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Washington region, including lower incomes and wealth, lower homeownership rates, and higher rates of housing cost burden.

    Housing Context

    Understanding how household incomes relate to the supply of affordable rental and homeownership units will inform jurisdictions' efforts to meet the current and future housing needs of residents.

    Participating Jurisdictions

    Local jurisdictions submitted data to enable the region to track housing production, preservation, and rental affordability.

    The City of Baltimore
    • Population: 568,271
    • Housing units: 297,583
    • Percent of Households that rent: 52%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 54%
    • Average growth per year: -3,700 people | 100 housing units
    • New units built in 2025: 2,859

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • Adopted: Right of First Refusal
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • Adopted: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Baltimore County
    • Population: 852,425
    • Housing units: 351,385
    • Percent of Households that rent: 34%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 54%
    • Average growth per year: 3,300 people | 1,100 housing units
    • New units built in 2025: 1,223

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • Not adopted: Right of First Refusal
    • Adopted: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • Not adopted: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Anne Arundel County
    • Population: 602,350
    • Housing units: 238,402
    • Percent of Households that rent: 25%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 47%
    • Average growth per year: 4,500 people | 1,800 housing units
    • New units built in 2025: 1,263

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • Not adopted: Right of First Refusal
    • Adopted: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • Adopted: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    City of Annapolis
    • Population: 40,689
    • Housing units: 19,598
    • Percent of Households that rent: 38%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 49%
    • Average growth per year: 200 people | 100 housing units
    • New units built in 2025: 60

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • Not adopted: Right of First Refusal
    • Adopted: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • Adopted: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Not adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Not adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Howard County
    • Population: 339,668
    • Housing units: 126,788
    • Percent of Households that rent: 29%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 48%
    • Average growth per year: 3,700 people | 1,200 housing units
    • New units built in 2025: 569

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • Adopted: Right of First Refusal
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • Not adopted: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • Adopted: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Carroll County
    • Population: 177,108
    • Housing units: 67,464
    • Percent of Households that rent: 16%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 49%
    • Average growth per year: 700 people | 400 housing units

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • In progress: Right of First Refusal
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • In progress: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • In progress: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • In progress: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Harford County
    • Population: 265,514
    • Housing units: 107,629
    • Percent of Households that rent: 20%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 49%
    • Average growth per year: 1,500 people | 800 housing units

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • In progress: Right of First Refusal
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • In progress: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • In progress: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • In progress: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
    Queen Anne's County
    • Population: 53,688
    • Housing units: 22,890
    • Percent of Households that rent: 17%
    • Percent of renters with unaffordable housing costs: 54%
    • Average growth per year: 400 people | 200 housing units

    2025 Housing Outcomes

    • In progress: Right of First Refusal
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
    • In progress: Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
    • In progress: Rental Assistance Demonstration
    • Not adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
    • Not adopted: Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing