States › Maryland › Howard County
County · Maryland
Howard County, MD
336,001 residents, 256,944 adults (Census population estimates used by PLACES). 20 ZIP Codes and 10 places with estimates.
CDC's PLACES project publishes model-based estimates of 40 health measures for Howard County, in Maryland: 336,001 residents in the Census population estimates used by PLACES, 256,944 of them adults.
In the 2025 release it estimates that 30.0% of adults have obesity (95% confidence interval 26.2–34.2%), below the Maryland figure of 35.1% (site aggregate), similar to the national estimate of 32.8%. Where intervals overlap the figures are described as similar, because the model cannot separate them.
Diagnosed diabetes: 10.4% of adults (95% confidence interval 9.1–11.8%) in the 2025 release, below the Maryland figure of 12.5% (site aggregate), similar to the national estimate of 12.0%.
Across the 40 measures with a published estimate, the county's interval lies entirely above the Maryland figure for 2, entirely below it for 24 and includes it for 14. State figures are population-weighted county estimates computed by this site and carry no interval.
Report card: 40 measures by CDC category
Crude prevalence is the estimated share of all adults. Age-adjusted prevalence is standardised to the 2000 US standard population so that areas with different age structures can be compared. CDC: "Age-adjusted estimates are only available at the county and place-level."
estimate with 95% intervalMD figureUS estimate
Health outcomes (12)vs MD figure: 0 above · 7 below · 5 in line
Prevention (7)vs MD figure: 2 above · 1 below · 4 in line
Health risk behaviors (4)vs MD figure: 0 above · 2 below · 2 in line
Disability (7)vs MD figure: 0 above · 6 below · 1 in line
Health status (3)vs MD figure: 0 above · 3 below · 0 in line
Health-related social needs (7)vs MD figure: 0 above · 5 below · 2 in line
Flags: St. = Maryland figure (site aggregate: a population-weighted county estimate computed by this site, no interval: above, below or in line), US = national estimate with CDC's interval. ↑ interval entirely above, ↓ entirely below, ≈ overlapping or containing the reference. Release column in colour: not published for this county in the 2025 release, most recent published release shown.
Compared with state and nation
| Measure (crude) | Howard County | Maryland (site aggregate) | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity | 30.0% 26.2–34.2 | 35.1% below | 32.8% 32.4–33.1 · similar |
| Diabetes | 10.4% 9.1–11.8 | 12.5% below | 12.0% 11.8–12.2 · similar |
| High Blood Pressure | 34.5% 31.6–37.5 | 36.8% in line | 34.4% 34.0–34.7 · similar |
| Current Asthma | 9.1% 8.1–10.2 | 10.6% below | 9.8% 9.6–10.0 · similar |
| COPD | 4.0% 3.3–4.9 | 5.9% below | 6.2% 6.1–6.3 · lower |
| Coronary Heart Disease | 4.8% 4.2–5.4 | 5.8% below | 6.4% 6.2–6.5 · lower |
| Depression | 17.7% 15.5–20.1 | 19.4% in line | 20.2% 19.9–20.5 · similar |
| Current Cigarette Smoking | 7.4% 5.8–9.3 | 10.9% below | 11.4% 11.2–11.6 · lower |
| Binge Drinking | 13.4% 11.6–15.5 | 14.1% in line | 15.2% 15.0–15.5 · similar |
| Physical Inactivity | 16.4% 13.6–19.4 | 23.6% below | 24.5% 24.2–24.8 · lower |
| Health Insurance | 5.7% 4.6–7.1 | 8.7% below | 11.0% 10.7–11.3 · lower |
| General Health | 12.4% 10.5–14.6 | 17.9% below | 19.2% 18.9–19.5 · lower |
| Measure (age-adjusted) | Howard County | Maryland (site aggregate) | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity | 29.6% 25.8–33.8 | 35.0% below | 32.9% 32.5–33.2 · similar |
| Diabetes | 9.1% 8.0–10.3 | 10.9% below | 10.3% 10.1–10.5 · similar |
| High Blood Pressure | 31.3% 28.6–34.1 | 33.4% in line | 30.7% 30.4–31.0 · similar |
| Current Asthma | 9.1% 8.1–10.2 | 10.6% below | 9.8% 9.6–10.0 · similar |
| COPD | 3.5% 2.9–4.3 | 5.2% below | 5.3% 5.2–5.4 · lower |
| Coronary Heart Disease | 4.1% 3.6–4.6 | 4.9% below | 5.3% 5.2–5.4 · lower |
| Depression | 18.2% 15.9–20.6 | 20.0% in line | 20.7% 20.4–21.0 · similar |
| Current Cigarette Smoking | 7.3% 5.7–9.1 | 11.0% below | 11.6% 11.4–11.9 · lower |
| Binge Drinking | 14.5% 12.4–16.7 | 15.3% in line | 16.6% 16.3–16.9 · similar |
| Physical Inactivity | 15.8% 13.2–18.7 | 22.8% below | 23.7% 23.4–24.0 · lower |
| Health Insurance | 6.0% 4.8–7.5 | 9.1% below | 11.5% 11.2–11.9 · lower |
| General Health | 11.8% 10.0–13.9 | 17.1% below | 18.3% 18.0–18.6 · lower |
Twelve headline measures; the toggle switches crude and age-adjusted. State figures are population-weighted county estimates computed by this site and carry no interval. Age-adjusted figures let counties with different age structures be compared.
ZIP Codes in Howard County
Ordered by point estimate; intervals overlap for most neighbouring rows, so the order is not a ranking. The flag compares each row's interval with Howard County by the confidence-interval rule.
| ZIP Codes | Population | Estimate | 95% interval | vs Howard County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP 20794 | 16,658 | 37.9% | 34.5–41.2 | higher |
| ZIP 20701 | 1,195 | 37.3% | 33.8–41.0 | similar |
| ZIP 20763 | 2,745 | 33.8% | 29.4–38.2 | similar |
| ZIP 21045 | 39,321 | 33.5% | 29.3–37.8 | similar |
| ZIP 21046 | 16,023 | 33.0% | 28.9–37.3 | similar |
| ZIP 21797 | 8,956 | 32.6% | 29.1–36.2 | similar |
| ZIP 21044 | 44,284 | 31.6% | 27.7–35.8 | similar |
| ZIP 20723 | 35,353 | 31.5% | 27.7–35.7 | similar |
| ZIP 21075 | 35,900 | 31.4% | 27.4–35.6 | similar |
| ZIP 21104 | 5,686 | 31.1% | 27.8–34.6 | similar |
| ZIP 21723 | 937 | 29.2% | 25.3–33.4 | similar |
| ZIP 21738 | 3,373 | 29.0% | 25.0–33.2 | similar |
| ZIP 21794 | 2,532 | 28.3% | 24.5–32.3 | similar |
| ZIP 21043 | 48,775 | 28.2% | 24.5–32.1 | similar |
| ZIP 21036 | 2,307 | 27.9% | 24.0–31.9 | similar |
| ZIP 21737 | 2,318 | 26.9% | 23.2–30.9 | similar |
| ZIP 20759 | 6,562 | 26.8% | 23.1–30.8 | similar |
| ZIP 20777 | 3,527 | 26.8% | 23.2–30.7 | similar |
| ZIP 21042 | 43,147 | 26.5% | 22.9–30.4 | similar |
| ZIP 21029 | 12,919 | 24.9% | 21.4–28.6 | similar |
ZIP Codes are assigned to the county holding the largest share of their land area; ZIPs that straddle counties appear once.
Cities and places in Howard County
Ordered by point estimate; intervals overlap for most neighbouring rows, so the order is not a ranking. The flag compares each row's interval with Howard County by the confidence-interval rule.
| Places | Population | Estimate | 95% interval | vs Howard County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savage | 7,542 | 34.6% | 30.3–39.0 | similar |
| North Laurel | 25,379 | 33.0% | 29.0–37.3 | similar |
| Columbia | 104,681 | 32.2% | 28.2–36.3 | similar |
| Elkridge | 25,171 | 31.9% | 27.9–36.2 | similar |
| Ilchester | 26,824 | 29.7% | 25.8–33.6 | similar |
| Lisbon | 282 | 29.6% | 25.3–34.1 | similar |
| Scaggsville | 9,217 | 28.2% | 24.5–32.3 | similar |
| Ellicott City | 75,947 | 26.9% | 23.3–30.8 | similar |
| Fulton | 5,916 | 26.9% | 23.3–30.9 | similar |
| Highland | 1,133 | 25.7% | 22.2–29.6 | similar |
Estimates by release
What each PLACES release published for Howard County (crude prevalence with 95% interval). CDC advises that the estimates cannot be used to track local change over time: each release re-models a different survey year onto a fixed population, intervals usually overlap and the interval method changed in 2023. Listed for reference only.
| Measure | 2022 release | 2023 release | 2024 release | 2025 release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COPD | 4.0% 3.4–4.7 | 3.9% 3.2–4.8 | 3.9% 3.5–4.4 | 4.0% 3.3–4.9 |
| Coronary Heart Disease | 4.8% 4.4–5.2 | 4.4% 3.8–5.0 | 5.0% 4.4–5.6 | 4.8% 4.2–5.4 |
| Current Asthma | 8.4% 8.1–8.7 | 8.6% 7.7–9.6 | 9.7% 8.5–11.0 | 9.1% 8.1–10.2 |
| Depression | 14.6% 14.0–15.4 | 16.6% 14.2–19.0 | 18.1% 15.5–20.8 | 17.7% 15.5–20.1 |
| Diabetes | 9.1% 8.6–9.7 | 9.3% 8.0–10.5 | 10.0% 8.6–11.4 | 10.4% 9.1–11.8 |
| High Blood Pressure | 30.7% 29.8–31.7 | 30.4% 27.6–33.2 | 30.5% 27.7–33.3 | 34.5% 31.6–37.5 |
| Obesity | 26.0% 25.1–27.0 | 28.0% 24.2–31.9 | 27.2% 22.9–31.6 | 30.0% 26.2–34.2 |
| Health Insurance | 7.9% 6.7–9.1 | 5.7% 4.6–7.1 | 4.7% 4.1–5.2 | 5.7% 4.6–7.1 |
| Binge Drinking | 11.8% 11.5–12.2 | 12.3% 10.4–14.4 | 13.8% 11.3–16.6 | 13.4% 11.6–15.5 |
| Current Cigarette Smoking | 8.7% 7.4–10.3 | 8.1% 6.4–10.1 | 8.1% 6.9–9.3 | 7.4% 5.8–9.3 |
| Physical Inactivity | 17.4% 15.8–19.1 | 16.7% 14.1–19.5 | 18.5% 15.7–21.4 | 16.4% 13.6–19.4 |
| General Health | 8.6% 7.7–9.7 | 10.2% 8.7–11.9 | 11.3% 9.9–12.7 | 12.4% 10.5–14.6 |
Questions and answers
What share of adults in Howard County have obesity, according to PLACES?
PLACES estimates 30.0% (95% confidence interval 26.2–34.2%) in the 2025 release, based on 2023 BRFSS responses modelled onto the area's adult population. It is a modelled estimate for the whole adult population of the area, not a count of diagnoses.
How common is diagnosed diabetes in Howard County?
PLACES estimates 10.4% of adults (95% confidence interval 9.1–11.8%) in the 2025 release. The national estimate in the same release is 12.0%.
Is Howard County different from Maryland on obesity?
The county's whole obesity interval lies below the Maryland figure (a population-weighted mean of county estimates computed by this site, which has no published interval).
Can these figures describe a person who lives in Howard County?
No. CDC states: "We do not produce estimates for individuals; only aggregated results for counties, places, census tracts, or ZCTAs." The figures describe the expected prevalence across the area's adult population given its demographic make-up and its county and state; they say nothing about any resident.
Can Howard County be ranked or tracked over time with these figures?
CDC advises that the data "should not be used for ranking the overall health of any county, place, census tract, or ZCTA" and that the modelling procedure "does not support using the estimates to track changes at the local level over time". Areas can be compared on individual measures, with their confidence intervals; this site lists estimates by release for reference only.
Where does this data come from?
CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release (data updated 4 Dec 2025), which models Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System responses with Census population and American Community Survey data. Earlier releases (2022, 2023, 2024) are shown for reference. Boundaries and ZIP-to-county relationships are from the US Census Bureau.
Provenance
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release (data updated 4 Dec 2025), with the 2022, 2023, 2024 releases for reference; US government work, public domain. Dataset on data.cdc.gov. Boundaries and ZIP-to-county relationships: US Census Bureau. Percentages are shown to one decimal as CDC publishes them; state figures are population-weighted means computed by this site. Processing errors are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections. Generated 1 Oct 2026.