ABOUT

Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. The County is continually ranked among the most affluent, advanced and educated communities in the United States. There is immediate access to leading educational and health care institutions, upscale retail, and outstanding recreation and entertainment. It is currently is home to 110,370 households and boasts a thriving, vibrant economy and welcoming business environment, with proximity to 50 federal agencies, universities, Fortune 500 companies, technology, defense and health care companies.

GEOGRAPHY
With a total land area of 160,640 acres, Howard is the second smallest county in Maryland. According to the Maryland Extension Service, 90% of the county is in the Piedmont Plateau (gently rolling hills) and 10% is in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (sandy soils). altitude ranges from 20 feet to 875 feet above sea level. Precipitation averages 43.4 inches per year.

Howard County has six regional parks, 24 community parks, seven golf courses, five lakes and over 200 miles of walking, hiking and biking trails.

OPEN HOWARD
Providing greater transparency and high-quality, freely accessible data is one of Howard County Government’s highest priorities. In 2014, the County Council passed legislation requiring County agencies to publish documents online in a searchable format and to regularly update that. The legislation also required that certain data be freely available to the public in machine-readable formats.

Publishing documents and data online in a searchable format provides the public with direct access to County information and statistics. It increases public participation throughout decision-making processes, improves transparency and efficiency in government, and demands greater collaboration among County departments.

By providing this Open Data portal, Howard County Government reaffirms its commitment to these core principles and objectives:

• Improve government transparency
• Improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Increase collaboration among County departments
• Promote a data-driven culture
• Promote civic engagement
• Improve the quality of life for all County residents
• Enhance and create economic opportunities

By establishing this Open Data portal, Howard County Government is creating an open and transparent digital environment of statistical support that strives to inform, educate and benefit the entire community. Data are provided in Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License.

The Howard County Open Data portal is an ongoing effort. Please come back often to explore newly published datasets