Howard County
For Americans thinking of retiring to Howard County, Maryland, from another state or instead of a move abroad. Howard County has 339,183 residents, 58,190 of them aged 65 or older (17.2 %) (US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025). No incorporated place in this county (Census, 1 July 2024).
Where Howard County stands, on the six criteria
Howard County's own figures, each against every US county that has the same figure. Cost of living is its area's: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no price level for a single county.
| Criterion | Howard County |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
104.5 Cheaper than 4% of the other 3,142 US counties
Every county in the area shares this figure. BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metropolitan area · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $4,208 (90% margin USD $4,146–$4,270) Lower than 29% of the other 3,110 US counties
The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS A fact for this county, not a ranking: a county without such a hospital may sit near one next door.
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026 · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
3.5 per 100,000 a year (95% interval 2.7–4.5) Lower than 85% of the other 767 US counties
CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024 (Single Race, final), by county of residence · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-09-24
|
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
5.0 months a year More than 39% of the other 3,143 US counties
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $0.47 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 100% of the other 3,143 US counties
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-28
|
Taxes on a retired couple in Howard County, Maryland
The published example couple's state and local tax in Howard County for tax year 2025, in its three parts. Only the income tax is the same across Maryland; the property tax uses Howard County's own Census figures.
| State income tax Maryland's 2025 rules — the same in every Maryland county |
USD $0 |
|---|---|
| Local income tax Howard County's own rate |
USD $118 |
| Property tax on a USD $350,000 home Howard County's own median taxes paid ÷ median home value |
USD $4,090 |
| State and local tax, a year | USD $4,208 |
Sources: Comptroller of Maryland, 2025 Maryland resident income tax booklet; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25103, county.
How Maryland taxes each kind of retirement income, line by line
What Medicare costs in Howard County, Maryland
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Howard County, Maryland, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
USD $5,950 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,870)
At most USD $20,950 in a bad year (from USD $19,172), with each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum
The middle of the 13 plans offered here; "from" is the lowest premium among them.
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,748 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,997)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 9 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
Retiring to Howard County, Maryland: pros and cons, by the figures
Retiring to Howard County, judged on the figures above: a pro is a figure in the top fifth of US counties, a con one in the bottom fifth. Figures in between get no verdict.
Pros
- Safety: lower than 85% of the other 767 US counties (3.5 per 100,000 a year). CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death 2018-2024 (Single Race, final), by county of residence
- Natural-hazard risk: lower than 100% of the other 3,143 US counties (USD $0.47 per USD $1,000 of buildings). FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB)
Cons
None of Howard County's figures is in the bottom fifth of US counties.
The largest places in Howard County
No incorporated place in Howard County (Census, 1 July 2024).
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