Anne Arundel County, MD

This county of 605,876 residents needs 8,488 more housing units over the next five years. Anne Arundel County is a CDBG-entitlement community, see how the ROAD to Housing Act could change that funding. Anne Arundel County is part of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board.

Housing snapshot

Population
605,876 (2026)
Households
226,912
Median household income
$136,763 (2026)
Typical home value
$522,110
Owner-occupied
71%
Five-year housing need
8,488 units

Comparison to other Maryland counties

Anne Arundel County: $136,763 Median income (2026 estimate)
<$65K >$166K
Anne Arundel County: 1.17 jobs to household ratio
<0.57 >1.4
Anne Arundel County: Permits since 2021 represent 3.3% of housing
<0.5% >6.7%
On this page

How affordable is this community?

The typical home in Anne Arundel County, MD is valued at $522,110, well above the Maryland average of $394,079. Anne Arundel County, MD's median household income of $136,763 comfortably exceeds what is needed to afford the typical home, making this a relatively affordable market.

This chart tracks whether housing prices are keeping pace with local incomes. The gap between what homes cost and what households can afford reveals affordability trends over time.

How is the population changing?

Anne Arundel County, MD has a population of roughly 598,166, growing modestly at 0.7% per year.

Population growth patterns reveal how communities are evolving. This chart shows historical population changes by age group and projects future trends based on demographic patterns.

How has employment changed over time?

Jobs by industry sector since 2012. Switch between local jobs — counted where the jobs are located — and resident jobs, counted where the workers live. On the local view the most recent year is a nowcast: it grows the latest local LODES job mix forward using recent county employment growth from QCEW and the BLS local employment series, so the newest point tracks today's economy instead of data that is roughly two years old.

How are households changing by income?

With roughly 226,912 households, Anne Arundel County, MD is growing modestly at 0.7% per year.

Understanding how households at different income levels are growing or declining helps identify which groups face the greatest housing pressure and where new housing is most needed.

Who lives here today?

In Anne Arundel County, MD, detached single-family accounts for 59% of the housing stock. Anne Arundel County, MD is a strongly owner-occupied community, with 71% of households owning their home.

Households may have different structure type preferences depending on characteristics such as household size, income, employment, presence of children, age of individuals, and lifestyle choices. Understanding the housing stock in corresponding terms helps assess how well existing units align with existing households' ideals.

What does the housing stock look like?

The mix of housing types and ownership patterns shapes a community's character. This chart breaks down housing units by structure type and whether they're owner-occupied or rented.

How much new housing supply is needed?

To keep up with growth and fill current housing shortages, Anne Arundel County, MD needs 8,488 new units over the next 5 years.

3,476
Units needed to keep up with expected growth
Projected total household growth from 2026 to 2031.
1.5%
Projected household growth rate
Expected increase in total households from 226,912 in 2026 to 230,388 in 2031.
5,012
Units to address shortages in existing housing stock
Production needs to address vacancy rates and other factors.
1,968
Replacement housing
Effective annual loss rate is 1.7 per 1,000 units.
1,509
Ownership vacancy adjustment
Owner-occupied vacancy is 0.6%. This is below the minimum stable target of 1.5%.
1,535
Rental vacancy adjustment
Rental vacancy is 5.0%. This is below the minimum stable target of 7.4%.
8,488
Total 5-year housing production need (2026-2031)
1,698
Annual production pace
Average units needed per year to meet 5-year need
3.6%
Total housing unit growth
Percent increase in housing stock over 5 years
0.7%
Annual housing unit growth
Average percent increase in housing stock per year

Build Now Act: how could CDBG funding change?

The Build Now Act (Section 213 of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act) ties a CDBG entitlement community's grant to how much housing it is building. This is a CommunityScale estimate from public ACS data, not HUD's official determination — HUD calculates from Census Master Address File block counts.

How do these communities compare to each other?