Maryland

Maryland is a state of the United States, one of the South Atlantic States (although often considered part of the Mid-Atlantic States and sometimes part of the Northeast). Its U.S. postal abbreviation is MD. Its Associated Press abbreviation is Md. Maryland was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. See: Annapolis Convention.

Demographics

As of 2004, Maryland's population was estimated to be 5,558,058. The state has 583,900 foreign-born residents (10.6% of the state population), of which an estimated 56,000 are illegal aliens (1% of the state population). Maryland's population grew by 777,000 between 1990 and 2004, a 16% growth.

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Most of the population of Maryland lives in the central region of the state, in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The Eastern Shore is less populous and more rural, as are the counties of southern Maryland. The three counties of Western Maryland (Allegany, Garrett, and Washington) are mountainous and sparsely populated, resembling West Virginia more than they do the rest of Maryland. Although the African American proportion is not as high as it was during the eighteenth century peak of tobacco plantation production (when it was 38%), Maryland still has the largest black population of any state outside of the Deep South.

Related Topics:
Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area - Allegany - Garrett - Washington - West Virginia - Deep South

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Race

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The racial makeup of the state:

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• 62.1% White non-Hispanic
• 27.9% Black
• 4.3% Hispanic
• 4.0% Asian
• 0.3% Native American
• 2% Mixed race

The five largest reported ancestries in Maryland are: German (15.7%), Irish (11.7%), English (9%), American (5.8%).

Related Topics:
German - Irish - English - American

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Blacks are concentrated in Baltimore City, Prince George's County, and the southern Eastern Shore. Most of the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland are populated by Marylanders of British ancestry. Western and northern Maryland have large German-American populations.

Related Topics:
Baltimore City - Prince George's County

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Religion

Maryland was founded for the purpose of providing religious toleration of England's Catholic minority. Nevertheless, the Crown later reversed that policy and discouraged the practice of Catholicism in Maryland. Despite the founding intent of the colony, Catholics have never been in a majority in Maryland since early Colonial times. The present religious composition of the state is shown below:

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• Christian – 82%
• Protestant – 56%
• Baptist – 18%
• Methodist – 11%
• Lutheran – 5%
• Episcopal – 3%
• Other Protestant or general Protestant – 19%
• Roman Catholic – 23%
• Other Christian – 3%
• Jewish – 3%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 14%

Notwithstanding numerical positions, the founding intent of Maryland has made the state prominent in US Catholic tradition. For example, Baltimore was the location of the first Catholic bishop in the USA (1789) and Emmitsburg, the home and burial place of the first American-born citizen to be canonized, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

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See also:Places in Maryland Ranked by Per Capita Income

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