POPULATION-CENSUS OF 1960

POPULATION OF MARYLAND: APRIL 1, 1960

The total population of Maryland on April 1, 1960, was 3,100,689,
according to figures for the State released by the Bureau of the
Census, Department of Commerce. Between 1950 and 1960, the popu-
lation of the State increased 757,688, or 32.3 percent, over the 2,343,001
inhabitants enumerated in 1950. Among the States, Maryland ranked
twenty-first in population. The 1960 population was almost ten times
as large as its population in 1790 when it was enumerated in the first
Federal census.

According to the urban definition, Maryland had 2,256,634 persons
living in urban territory and 844,055 in rural territory. The urban
population accounted for 72.8 percent of the total population of the
State.

There are 23 counties and I independent city—Baltimore—in Mary-
land. Between 1950 and 1960, 20 of the counties increased in popula-
tion. Three of the counties and Baltimore City showed a decrease. The
rates of change for the counties ranged from a decline of 6.3 percent
for Allegany County to an increase of 105 percent for Montgomery
County. Baltimore County experienced, the largest immerical gain
with an increase of 490,465. The Washington and Baltimore metropoli-
tan areas accounted for the greatest increases in the State since 1950.
Montgomery and Prince George's Counties combined have increased 94
percent during the past ten years. The Baltimore metropolitan area has
a population of 1,706,961, a gain of 301,562 over 1950, despite the City's
loss of 26,484 or 2.7 percent. The counties in Maryland ranged in size
from Kent with a population of 15,481 to Baltimore with a population
of 492,428.

In 1960 there were 155 places incorporated as cities, towns and
villages in Maryland and 40 unincorporated places of 1,000 inhabitants
or more. These ranged in size from Highland Beach town with a
population of 5 to Baltimore City with a population of 939,024.

Under the urban definition established for use in the 1960 census,
urban territory comprises (a) places of 2,500 inhabitants or more
incorporated as cities, boroughs, towns,' and villages; (b) the densely
settled urban fringe, including both incorporated and unincorporated
areas, around cities of 50,000 or more; and (c) unincorporated places
of 2,500 inhabitants or more outside any urban fringe. All other terri-
tory is classified 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 (fivisions)
classified as urban under special rules relating to population size and
density.

In both definitions, the most important component of the urban ter-
ritory is the group of incorporated places having 2,500 inhabitants or
more. A definition of urban territory restricted to such places, how-
ever, would exclude a number of equally large and densely settled
places, merely because they were not incorporated places. Under the
old definition, an effort was made to avoid some of the more obvious
omissions by the inclusion of the places urban under special rules.

'Except in Sew England, New York, and Wisconsin, where "towns" are minor
civil divisions of counties and are not necessarily densely settled centers like the
towns in other States.