Maryland Information and Facts

Official Website: http://www.state.md.us/

Income

The population of Maryland in 2002 was 5,450,525. Its rank was 18th in the nation. (The District of Columbia is included for ranking purposes.)

Per Capita Personal Income

In 2002 Maryland had a per capita personal income of $36,303. This per capita personal income ranked 5th in the United States and was 117 percent of the national average, $30,906. The 2002 per capita personal income reflected an increase of 2.7 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.2 percent. In 1992 the per capita personal income of Maryland was $24,139 and ranked 6th in the United States. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of per capita personal income was 4.2 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 4.0 percent.

Total Personal Income

In 2002 Maryland had a total personal income of $197,868,861. This total personal income ranked 15th in the United States. In 1992 the total personal income of Maryland was $118,847,376 and ranked 14th in the United States. The 2002 total personal income reflected an increase of 4.0 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 2.3 percent. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of total personal income was 5.2 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.2 percent.

Components of Personal Income

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and total personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of Maryland. In 2002 net earnings accounted for 72.1 percent of total personal income (compared with 71.8 in 1992); dividends, interest, and rent were 17.0 percent (compared with 17.7 in 1992); and personal current transfer receipts were 10.9 percent (compared with 10.5 in 1992). From 2001 to 2002 net earnings increased 3.8 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 1.6 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 8.8 percent. From 1992 to 2002 net earnings increased on average 5.3 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 4.8 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 5.6 percent.

Employment Earnings

Earnings of persons employed in Maryland increased from $131,463,010 in 2001 to $136,772,189 in 2002, an increase of 4.0 percent. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.5 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1992 estimate of $80,326,888 to the 2002 estimate was 5.5 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.3 percent.

Area - Maryland ranks 42nd among the states in size, with a total area of 31,849 sq km (12,297 sq mi), including 1761 sq km (680 sq mi) of inland water. Also included is 4771 sq km (1842 sq mi) of Chesapeake Bay that is considered part of the state. Maryland has a maximum width from east to west, of about 385 km (about 240 mi) and varies north to south from about 3 km (about 2 mi) at its narrowest to about 200 km (about 125 mi) on its eastern extreme. Chesapeake Bay, a large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, divides the state into two sections. The section east of the bay, known as the Eastern Shore, occupies part of the Delmarva Peninsula. Maryland's mean elevation is about 110 m (about 350 ft).

Climate - The climate of Maryland is characterized by generally hot humid summers and cool winters. In comparison with the Eastern Shore and other lowland areas, the upland sections in the west have colder and longer winters and cooler and shorter summers. Average July temperatures range from about 18°C (about 65° F) in western Maryland to between 24° and 27° C (75° and 80° F) in eastern Maryland. The average July temperature at Baltimore is 25°C (77° F). Daytime temperatures in Maryland are often in the lower 30°s C (upper 80°s F) and occasionally reach the mid-30°s C (upper 90°s F). Summer nighttime temperatures are usually in the lower 20°s C (mid-70°s F). Average January temperatures range from less than -2°C (28° F) in the west to more than 2°C (35° F) on the Eastern Shore. The average January temperature at Baltimore is about 1°C (about 34° F). Very cold winter weather, with temperatures in the -20°s C (below 0° F), is common in the western uplands but seldom occurs in the eastern lowlands. Precipitation (rainfall and snowfall) increases from about 970 mm (about 38 in) a year in eastern Maryland to more than 1170 mm (46 in) in the western mountains of the state. However, the driest area is in western Maryland, where Hagerstown Valley, hemmed in by mountains, receives less than 910 mm (36 in) of rain a year. Throughout the state most precipitation is in the form of rain. More than half the annual rainfall occurs in the summer months. In the winter, snow is common, but the snowfall is much greater in the mountains than in the lowlands. Hailstorms and thunderstorms occur occasionally in the summer months.

State Flag

State Flower - Black-Eyed Susan

State Capitol - Annapolis
Maryland's present constitution, the state's fourth, was adopted in 1867. Previous state constitutions had been adopted in 1776, 1851, an 1864. A proposed amendment to the constitution must initially be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each house of the state legislature. To be adopted, the amendment must then be approved by a majority of the electorate voting on it in a general election. Amendments may also be proposed by specific constitutional conventions.

Famous People

Babe Ruth baseball player, Baltimore
Benjamin Banneker mathematician, astronomer, Oella/Ellicott City
Billie Holiday jazz-blues singer, Baltimore
Charles Willson Peale painter, naturalist Queen Annes Cty
Christopher Gist frontiersman, Baltimore
Eubie Blake musician, Baltimore
Francis Scott Key laywer, author, Carroll Cty
Francis X. Bushman actor, Baltimore
Frank Zappa singer, Baltimore
Frederick Douglass abolitionist, Tuckahoe
H. L. Mencken writer, Baltimore
Harriet Tubman abolitionist, Dorchester Cty
James M. Cain writer, Annapolis
John Barth writer, Cambridge
John Dickinson statesman, Talbot Cty
John Wilkes Booth actor, Lincoln assassin, Harford County
Johns Hopkins financier, Anne Arundel Cty
Leon Uris author, Baltimore
Matthew Henson explorer, Charles Cty
Philip Glass composer, Baltimore
Samuel Chase jurist, Sumerset Cty
Spiro T. Agnew vice president, Baltimore
Thomas Johnson political leader, Calvert Cty
Thurgood Marshall jurist, Baltimore
Upton Sinclair author, Baltimore