Maryland
Maryland aging slightly faster than U.S. as a whole, new Census numbers show – WTOP News
Some of the fastest aging is occurring in central Maryland counties.
This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
America is aging, but Maryland is aging faster.
Those are the findings of new Census numbers that show the number of Marylanders age 65 and older grew by 3.35% from 2023 to 2024, while the number of those under age 18 fell by 0.06%. Nationally, the increase of older adults was 3.1% while those under 18 shrank by 0.10%.
The state’s population overall rose by more than 45,000 last year, the most since 2015. While the one-year numbers are relatively small, analysts say they continue recent trends: The country’s median age and the population’s share of older adults are both continuously increasing.
“Children still outnumber older adults in the United States, despite a decline in births this decade,” Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch, said in a statement. “However, the gap is narrowing as baby boomers continue to age into their retirement years.”
The number of states where those over age 65 now outnumber children has grown from just three in 2020 to 11 in 2024, though Maryland is not yet one of those states.
While the state’s 6.2 million residents overall are aging slightly faster than the rest of the U.S., some of the fastest aging is occurring in central Maryland counties, while some of the rural counties are seeing their populations age differently.
In Western Maryland counties like Allegany and Washington, for example, or Somerset and Talbot counties on the Eastern Shore, the 65-and-over population rose less than 2% year to year. And the median age fell or stayed the same in all four counties.
Among counties with rising median ages, Howard County saw the largest increase, going from 39.9 years in 2023 to 40.3 in 2024, according to the Census data.
Jie Chen, director of the University of Maryland, College Park’s Center on Aging, said the aging disparity between rural and urban areas stems from differences in resources. Most communities that can work to make themselves age-friendly tend to be in urban areas, she said.
“The rural areas usually have worse access to health care, housing and transportation,” Chen said. The lack of rural hospitals can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment for older residents, she said.
She said communities are aging primarily due to advancing technology and the state’s improving economy.
“People live happier and longer,” said Chen, also the chair of the university’s Health Policy and Management department. “It’s not a bad thing.”
But, Chen added, the declining birthrate among young people has led to the state’s disproportionate ratio of older and younger residents. She attributed that decrease in birthrate to cultural shifts and reluctance to start a family given the high cost of living.
Chen said there is plenty of room for improvement in how resources are allocated for aging residents, especially in the health care system, to ensure aging residents can live happily and healthily “without sacrificing anyone else’s benefits.”
Benjamin Orr, president of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, said the trend is nothing surprising.
“The United States as a whole, our population is getting older,” Orr said. “Maryland’s population is no exception.”
Orr said the goal is for the state to have a healthy “working age” and under-18 population, but the state doesn’t need “explosive growth” in those groups.
An aging population can lead to slower economic growth, he said, and shifting government spending priorities as the state covers increasing health care and Medicare costs.
“We also know that people who are still in the workforce typically pay more taxes,” Orr said. “So an aging population can put further strain on government budgets, not just because they may need more services, but also because they may be paying” less payroll taxes or not spending as much.
Orr added that Maryland is already doing many of the right things to attract working age adults and young families, such as a higher minimum wage and good public schools.
The Census data also showed a continuing shift in Maryland’s racial demographics over the last five years.
Since 2020, the state’s Hispanic population has increased by almost 14%, while its Black and Asian populations saw more moderate increases. The number of non-Hispanic white residents shrank by more than 100,000 people, while the state’s Hispanic population last year alone grew by about 30,000 people.
In an interview with Maryland Matters, Bowers said the trend in Maryland also mirrors the rest of the country. Since 2020, the U.S. Hispanic population has increased by just more than 6 million people, she said.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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