# Howard, Maryland — #2,548 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.46 of 10. FIPS 24027. Population 336,001. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 336,000 people live in Howard, Maryland. It ranks #2,548 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #7 of 24 in Maryland. The combined sales tax is 6%, lower than in 62% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.11% of a home's value each year, more than in 77% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 80% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 52% of counties. Life expectancy is at least 80 years, longer than in 91% of counties. Air quality is better than in 83% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 34), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 72% 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 | 6.57 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 2.78 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.44 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 4.55 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.45 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 1.88 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 10.00 |  |
| Government employees | county | 7.98 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 7.78 |  |

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

## Neighbors

- #2444 Carroll, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24013.md
- #2943 Baltimore, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24005.md
- #2535 Anne Arundel, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24003.md
- #3082 Prince George's, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24033.md
- #2586 Montgomery, Maryland — https://libertymoving.org/counties/24031.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/24027
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=24027
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy