About Frederick County

Here, museums meet martini bars, scenic landscapes provide thrill seekers with adventure, and cutting-edge cuisine is served up in Civil War-era buildings alongside unique specialty shops, galleries, museums, and theaters.

Located less than one hour from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Gettysburg, the city of Frederick, Maryland is surrounded by mountain views, wineries, orchards and vibrant Main Street communities. Visitors can hike the Appalachian Trail, visit local breweries, and tour a battlefield all in one day.

This is Frederick County, where hip meets historic every day.

Frederick County Snapshot

Size:
Frederick County is Maryland's largest county in size at 664 square miles.

Location:

• Baltimore (46 miles)
• Washington, D.C. (43 miles)
• Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (32 miles)
• Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (21 miles)
• Leesburg, Virginia (25 miles)

Population:

• 271,717 (as of 2020)
• Median age – 38.6
• Median household income - $100,685

Major Employers:

• Fort Detrick, U.S. Army Garrison
• Frederick County Board of Education
• Frederick Memorial Healthcare
• Leidos Biomedical
• Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
• AstraZeneca

City of Frederick
The County Seat is the City of Frederick and is home to over 78,000 people. The City of Frederick is the second largest Maryland city and also has the fifth-highest population growth rate among state’s municipalities.

Recent accolades include:

2022 - Best Places to Live in the US - Livability

2021 - Top 10 Remote-Ready Cities - Livability

2020 - Top Small Towns to Visit this Year - Matador

2019 - Best Small Towns to Visit at Christmas - Travel Channel

2019 - Top Small Town Getaways for Kids - Family Vacation Critic

2018 – World’s Most Beautiful Canals – American

2018 – Best Small Beer Cities – Thrillist

2018 – Most Charming American Towns – MSN

2017 – Best Urban Park – Cheapism

2017 – Most Scenic East Coast Cities – Expedia

2017 – Best Small Town Main Streets in America – Country Living

2017 – Best Main Street Shopping Districts – MSN

2016 – Most Diverse Cities in America (Frederick #8) – WalletHub

2016 – Top 50 Places in the South (Frederick #20) – Southern Living

2016 – World’s Best Cities for Craft Beer (Frederick #16) – Matador Network

2015 – Top 50 Best Places to Live (Urbana #35) – Money Magazine

2015 – Top 10 Best Places to Live for Veterans (Frederick #8) – Military Times

2015 – Top 100 Best Places to Live (Frederick #32) – Livability

2015 – Top 10 Best Downtowns (Frederick #6) – Livability

Famous Faces of Frederick:

• Barbara Fritchie, Civil War heroine
• Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner
• Lester Bowie, jazz musician
• Claire McCardell, world renowned fashion designer
• Thomas Johnson, first Governor of Maryland
• John Hanson, elected as President of the United States in Congress Assembled (1781)

For more information on how to obtain statistics or information about local businesses in the City of Frederick or Frederick County from our Offices of Economic Development, visit our Resources.