# Charles, Maryland — #2,967 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 4.64 of 10. FIPS 24017. Population 171,973. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 172,000 people live in Charles, Maryland. It ranks #2,967 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #22 of 24 in Maryland. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.97% of a home's value each year, more than in 68% of counties. Local government employs a larger share of working residents than in 74% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 88% of counties. Life expectancy is about 77.4 years, longer than in 69% of counties. Air quality is better than in 55% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 40), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 68% of counties. On this site's state scores, Maryland gets 6.52 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 1 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 6.52 |  |
| 2A | state | 1.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.00 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 2.88 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 5.27 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 5.15 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 2.20 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 7.40 |  |
| Government employees | county | 2.33 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 5.17 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #2491 St. Mary's, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24037.md
- #1774 Fairfax, Virginia — https://libertymoving.org/counties/51059.md
- #2552 Calvert, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24009.md
- #3082 Prince George's, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24033.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/24017
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=24017
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy