POPULATION-CENSUS OF 1950
POPULATION OF MARYLAND: APRIL 1, 1950

The total population of Maryland on April 1, 1950, was 2,343,001, ac-
cording to final figures for the State released by the Bureau of the Census,
Department of Commerce. During the previous 10 years, the population
of the State increased 521,757, or 28.6 percent, over the 1,821,244 inhabitants
enumerated in 1940. Among the States, Maryland ranked twenty-fourth
in population. The 1950 population was more than seven times as large
as its population in 1790 when it was enumerated in the first Federal census.

According to the new urban definition, Maryland had 1,615,902 persons
living in urban territory and 727,099 in rural territory. The urban popula-
tion accounted for 69.0 percent of the total population of the State.

There are 23 counties and I independent city—Baltimore—in Maryland.
Between 1940 and 1950, 20 of the counties and Baltimore city increased in
population. The rates of change for the counties ranged from a decline of
8.3 percent for Garrett County to an increase of 117.0 percent for Prince
George's County. The largest numerical increase was experienced in
Baltimore County, which had a gain of 114,448. Nearly three-fourths of
the increase in the population of the State was accounted for by Baltimore,
Prince George's, and Montgomery Counties and Baltimore City. The
counties in Maryland ranged in size from Calvert with a population of 12,100
to Baltimore with a population of 270,273.

In 1950 there were 149 places incorporated as cities, towns, and villages
in Maryland and 15 unincorporated places of 1,000 inhabitants or more.
There were 1,310,869 persons living in the incorporated places, 95,611 of
whom were in the 118 places of fewer than 2,500 inhabitants. Of the
28,762 inhabitants of the unincorporated places, 20,804 were in the 13
places of 1,000 to 2,500 inhabitants. The incorporated places ranged in
size from Highland Beach town with a population of 5 to Baltimore city
with a population of 949,708.

Under the urban definition established for use in the 1950 Census, urban
territory has been defined to comprise (a) places of 2,500 inhabitants or
more incorporated as cities, boroughs, towns,(1) and villages; (b) the densely
settled urban fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated areas,
around cities of 60,000 or more; and (c) unincorporated places of 2,500
inhabitants or more outside any urban fringe. All other territory is classi-
fied as rural. According to the definition used in previous censuses, urban
territory was designated as all incorporated places of 2,500 inhabitants or
more and areas (usually minor civil divisions) classified as urban under
special rules relating to population size and density.

In both definitions, the most important component of the urban territory
is the group of incorporated places having 2,500 inhabitants or more. A
definition of urban territory restricted to such places, however, would ex-
clude a number of equally large and densely settled places, merely because
they were not incorporated places. Under the old definition, an effort was