Health care · County · Maryland
Medical and dental practices in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for medical and dental practices in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,817 of 2,394 scored counties
#18 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 1,399
- 171 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 649
- +2.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $189.8M
- On medical and dental services · $1,568 a household
- Spending per listing
- $136K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.6
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in Howard County
The site report maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Howard County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, ranking #1,817 of 2,394 scored counties and #18 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,568 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $189.8M a year on medical and dental services. That is about $136K of household spending for each practice on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
There are 1,399 medical and dental practices on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. Of those, 171 are chain locations, or 12%, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 115.6, 37% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Official counts show 649 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Howard County in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 187 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Howard County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.6 | 88.6 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $136K | $149K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 187 | 274 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.5% | −2.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,568 | $1,322 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 633 → 649+2.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,398
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $483.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 746Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,399171 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,245The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in Howard County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Somerset County, MD | 71 | 20 | 24.0 | $412K | +1.7% | #304 of 2,394 |
| 2Caroline County, MD | 69 | 40 | 32.0 | $331K | +2.5% | #372 of 2,394 |
| 3St. Mary’s County, MD | 64 | 257 | 60.6 | $232K | +2.4% | #592 of 2,394 |
| 4Charles County, MD | 58 | 432 | 71.0 | $198K | +5.9% | #847 of 2,394 |
| 5Cecil County, MD | 56 | 218 | 53.7 | $226K | +3.2% | #920 of 2,394 |
| 6Queen Anne’s County, MD | 56 | 159 | 79.9 | $171K | +8.8% | #939 of 2,394 |
| 7Calvert County, MD | 53 | 260 | 77.7 | $191K | +1.7% | #1,059 of 2,394 |
| 8Frederick County, MD | 51 | 946 | 90.4 | $158K | +11.0% | #1,153 of 2,394 |
| 9Harford County, MD | 49 | 722 | 70.9 | $190K | +2.0% | #1,228 of 2,394 |
| 10Dorchester County, MD | 49 | 86 | 63.5 | $164K | +3.4% | #1,247 of 2,394 |
| 18Howard County, MD | 37 | 1,399 | 115.6 | $136K | +1.9% | #1,817 of 2,394 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics37
- Dentists and orthodontists34
- Primary care and pediatrics52
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics51
- Chiropractors76
- Physical therapy39
- Optometrists and eye care59
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in Howard County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,399 medical and dental practices in Howard County. 171 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 649 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. Official counts list 746 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on medical and dental services?
About $189.8M a year, or $1,568 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,399 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $136K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
Howard County has 115.6 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $136K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, Howard County would have about 1,245, against 1,399 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 187 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Howard County scores 37 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #1,817 of 2,394 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard County. It maps the medical and dental practices on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.