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Ridgely, MD

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,772
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

34.3
years ∙ half population younger than 34.3, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
50.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.2%
foreign-born population
96.8%Native
3.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Ridgely is a town within Caroline County, Maryland, United States.
Location
Town in Caroline County, MD, US
Co-ordinates
DEC38.952933° N, 75.882704° W
DMS38° 57′ 10.56″ N, 75° 52′ 57.73″ W

Population Density & area

952.7/sq mi (366.9/km²)
Total Area
1.86 sq mi (4.83 km²)
Land Area
1.86 sq mi (4.83 km²) · 100%
Water Area
0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

45.9% male
Male 45.9%
Female 54.1%
males per 100 females
Ridgely 85
Caroline County 96.6
Maryland 94.8

Nativity

3.2%
foreign-born population
96.8%Native
3.2% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Ridgely 3.2%
Caroline County 6.1%
Maryland 16.6%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

34.3
years ∙ half population younger than 34.3, half older
Ridgely
34.3
Caroline County
39.9
Maryland
39.4

Dependency ratio

Low High
78.1
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Ridgely 78.1
Caroline County 70.2
Maryland 63.5

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 30.7% 23.9% 22.2%
Working age (18-64) 56.2% 58.8% 61.1%
Senior (65+) 13.1% 17.3% 16.7%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 78.1 70.2 63.5
Child dependency ratio 54.7 40.7 36.3
Old-age dependency ratio 23.4 29.5 27.2
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
68.2%
Black
10.6%
Asian
1.1%
Hispanic
13.9%
Other
6.2%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
50.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Ridgely 50.2%
Caroline County 44.8%
Maryland 67.7%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Ridgely population
Racial and ethnic composition — Ridgely vs Caroline County vs Maryland. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Hispanic or Latino 13.9% 9.3% 12.5%
Mexican 3% 1.9% 2%
Puerto Rican 2.3% 0.9% 1.1%
Cuban 0% 0.1% 0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino 8.6% 6.4% 9.1%
Not Hispanic or Latino 86.1% 90.7% 87.5%
One race 82% 86.3% 82.9%
White 68.2% 72.5% 46.6%
Black or African American 10.6% 12.6% 28.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 0.1%
Asian 1.1% 0.7% 6.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 2.1% 0.5% 0.7%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 4.1% 4.4% 4.6%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

57.9% family
Family 57.9%
Non family 42.1%
% family households
Ridgely 57.9%
Caroline County 66.6%
Maryland 65%

Average household size

2.73
persons per household
Ridgely
2.73
Caroline County
2.65
Maryland
2.57

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Ridgely population
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Total households 649 12,495 2,362,928
Average houshold size 2.73 2.65 2.57
Family households 376 8,319 1,535,706
Average family size 3.67 3.27 3.19
Married couple family 228 5,713 1,090,871
Other families 148 2,606 444,835
Male householder 24 573 120,206
Female householder 124 2,033 324,629
Non-family households 273 4,176 827,222
One-person households 241 3,600 677,124
Male householder 121 1,687 282,192
Senior (65+) living alone 39 639 87,532
Female householder 120 1,913 394,932
Senior (65+) living alone 68 1,042 185,255
Other living arrangements 32 576 150,098

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

678
housing units
Ridgely 678
Caroline County 13,531
Maryland 2,560,784

Occupancy status

95.7% occupied
Occupied 95.7%
Vacant 4.3%
vacancy rate
Ridgely 4.3%
Caroline County 7.7%
Maryland 7.7%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

73.6%
Single family houses
Single family houses
73.6%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
25.9%
Mobile homes
0.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1982
Half of houses were built before 1982, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
22.6%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
13.9%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
48.7%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
14.9%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.4 6.2 6.2
1–3 rooms 10.3% 7% 12.3%
4–6 rooms 57.2% 50.9% 42.4%
7+ rooms 32.5% 42% 45.2%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.6% 1.4% 2.1%
1 bedroom 10.5% 6.3% 10.3%
2 bedrooms 28.3% 22% 21.3%
3 bedrooms 41% 49.7% 35.8%
4+ bedrooms 19.7% 20.8% 30.5%
At a glance
Median year built 1982 1983 1980
Total housing units 678 13,531 2,560,784
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

62.9% owners
Renter-occupied 37.1%
Owner-occupied 62.9%
homeownership rate
Ridgely 62.9%
Caroline County 71.9%
Maryland 67.6%

Average household size

3.04
Owner-occupied
2.2
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Ridgely 3.04
Caroline County 2.74
Maryland 2.7

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Total occupied units 649 12,495 2,362,928
Year moved in
2020 or later 29.4% 20% 23.2%
2010 to 2019 36.1% 36.1% 39%
2000 to 2009 17.9% 18.5% 17.1%
1999 or earlier 16.7% 25.4% 20.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.4% 98.4% 97.5%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1.1% 1.7%
1.51 or more 0.6% 0.5% 0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6% 5.5% 8.8%
1 vehicle 33.4% 31.5% 33.5%
2 vehicles 36.7% 32.2% 35.8%
3 or more vehicles 23.9% 30.8% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 17.4% 18.9% 46.9%
Electricity 68.4% 57.6% 44.1%
Solar 1.7% 1% 0.4%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 9.4% 14.6% 6.6%
All other fuels 0% 6.8% 1.6%
No fuel used 3.1% 1.1% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.5% 0.5% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.5% 0.8% 0.6%
No telephone service available 1.4% 0.7% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$276,700
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Ridgely
$276,700
Caroline County
$290,100
Maryland
$419,900

Housing Cost Burden

27.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
27.3%
Owners without a mortgage
10.9%
Renters
35.9%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Property value
Median Value $276,700 $290,100 $419,900
Under $100,000 0% 7.8% 5%
$100,000 - $200,000 23.2% 16.9% 7.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 33.6% 28.3% 14.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 39.5% 36.3% 37.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 3.7% 9.6% 29.7%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 1.1% 6%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 81.9% 63.5% 71%
Without a mortgage 18.1% 36.5% 29%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,722 $1,758 $2,347
Without a mortgage $490 $606 $753
Gross rent
Median rent $633 $1,105 $1,705

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

12.6%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Ridgely 12.6%
Caroline County 16.2%
Maryland 43.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

17.8%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Ridgely 17.8%
Caroline County 16.2%
Maryland 8.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

522
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
4.6%
K–12
84.9%
College / Undergraduate
10%
Graduate / Professional
0.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

34.1%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Ridgely
34.1%
Caroline County
24.9%
Maryland
41.8%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Total enrolled (age 3+) 522 7,845 1,533,098
Nursery / preschool 4.6% 7.5% 5.7%
K–12 84.9% 74.7% 66.3%
Kindergarten 9.8% 8.8% 4.9%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 27.4% 23% 19.5%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 20.5% 19.1% 20.5%
High School: Grades 9–12 27.2% 23.9% 21.5%
College or graduate school 10.5% 17.8% 28%
College, undergraduate 10% 14.6% 20.4%
Graduate, professional school 0.6% 3.1% 7.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 34.1% 24.9% 41.8%
School type
Public school 91.4% 81.8% 80%
Private school 8.6% 18.2% 20%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

1,090
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
4.2%
9th-12th, no diploma
13.6%
HS graduate
31.9%
Some college no degree
32.2%
Associates degree
5.5%
Bachelors degree
9.5%
Graduate or professional degree
3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
17.4% · 82.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
50% · 50%
HS graduate
53.4% · 46.6%
Some college no degree
40.5% · 59.5%
Associates degree
13.3% · 86.7%
Bachelors degree
50% · 50%
Graduate or professional degree
12.1% · 87.9%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Population (25+) 1,090 23,007 4,301,335
Less than 9th grade 4.2% 5.6% 4%
9th–12th, no diploma 13.6% 10.6% 4.8%
High school diploma or GED 31.9% 40.4% 23.4%
Some college, no degree 32.2% 20.5% 17.4%
Associate's degree 5.5% 6.7% 6.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 12.6% 16.2% 43.4%
Bachelor's degree 9.5% 9.5% 22.7%
Graduate or professional 3% 6.7% 20.8%
High School or higher 82.2% 83.8% 91.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$41,250
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$25,577
HS graduate
$39,779
Some college or associates
$42,833
Bachelors degree
$88,250
Graduate or professional degree
$94,063

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
13.4%
HS graduate
12.4%
Some college or associates
13.9%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Ridgely Caroline County Maryland
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $41,250 $47,440 $65,293
Less than high school graduate $25,577 $31,799 $35,487
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $39,779 $41,958 $45,113
Some college or associate's degree $42,833 $48,903 $54,823
Bachelor's degree $88,250 $69,500 $80,465
Graduate or professional degree $94,063 $80,875 $105,640
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 13.4% 17.1% 20.9%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 12.4% 12.4% 12.6%
Some college or associate's degree 13.9% 6.4% 8.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 3.2% 3.5%

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