Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Charles County, MD

Welcome to Charles County.

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Charles County has a population of 167 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 642.9 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 13%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $7.2 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Charles County voted for Democratic candidates every single time.

Charles County comprises Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Waldorf.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Calvert County, Prince George's County, St. Mary's County, Fairfax County, King George County, Prince William County, Stafford County, and Westmoreland County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
49.05%48.82%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
50.4%48.84%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
62.22%36.69%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
64.84%33.47%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
63.01%32.71%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
69.47%28.58%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%13%
Government
Enterprises
23%30%
Private Industries77%9%
Agriculture<1%0%
Mining<1%0%
Utilities11%0%
Construction9%-7%
Manufacturing1%49%
– Durable1%21%
– Nondurable1%77%
Trade12%0%
– Wholesale3%0%
– Retail9%19%
Transportation1%25%
Information1%-5%
Finance & Insurance2%6%
Real Estate19%0%
Professional &
Business Services
6%34%
Educational Services<1%15%
Healthcare &
Social Services
6%21%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%9%
Accommodation &
Food Services
3%33%
Other Services22%9%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1571
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
2274
📺 Electronics & Appliance1170
🛒 Grocery Stores4885
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores4690
⚕️ Health & Personal Care5286
⛽ Gasoline Stations2673
👕 Clothing Stores3878
👠 Shoe Stores1269
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry1372
🏸 Sporting Goods329
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores2683
💐 Florists562
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops653
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 442
🍺 Bars & Taverns1064
🍽️ Full-service restaurants8083
🍔 Limited-service restaurants12686
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers4477
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation1773
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%119%$404,600 N/A
Top 20%46%$243,200 $242,700
Next highest 20%24%$125,700 $152,300
Middle 20%17%$87,100 $105,100
Second lowest 20%10%$52,200 $68,600
Bottom 20%4%$19,200 $36,100
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries76%$105,500
Self-Employment9%$29,300
Investment Income119%$19,900
Social Security32%$24,000
Supplemental Security6%$13,200
Public Assistance3%Below $10,000
Retirement29%$30,000
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
<1%2%2%3%
$25K
– $49K
<1%3%3%3%
$50K
– $99K
1%8%9%6%
$100K
– $199K
1%14%20%6%
$200K
& more
<1%5%12%2%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$61,800 $40,900
African-American$34,400 $46,500
Hispanic$31,200 $29,800
Asian$33,000
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$41,800 $16,900
Highschool & GED$55,000 $31,500
Some College to
Associate’s
$68,000 $43,400
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$74,400 $61,800
Graduate Degree$100,500 $77,500
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$90,700 $66,500
STEM2$96,200 $75,400
Gray-Collar3$84,800 $50,600
Pink-Collar4Below $10,000$24,200
Sales5$50,700 $26,700
Blue-Collar6$48,500 $33,800
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding+$
Cold Waves+$
Drought+$
Earthquake+$
Hail+
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm+
Landslide+$
Lightning+$
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather+$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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