Eastern Shore Data Briefs: Four Demographic Measures

Jan Plotczyk • April 11, 2023

A special place, Maryland’s Eastern Shore is extraordinary in many ways to those of us who live, work, and vacation here. But it is not a monoculture. Each of its nine counties has a flavor of its own and characteristics that distinguish it from the others. And luckily for us, we have access to data that can highlight the ways in which the counties are unique.

This edition of Eastern Shore Data Briefs will look at four randomly chosen demographic measures by county: median age, percent of population that is a high school graduate or higher, percent foreign born, and average household size.

These data are from the American Community Survey (ACS), a program of the U.S. Census Bureau. ACS replaced the decennial census long form in 2010. ACS asks questions of a representative, randomized sample of about three-and-a-half million U.S. residents in order to produce yearly estimates of detailed social, demographic, housing, and economic information. The data are aggregated, and no names are released. ACS data are used by Congress to determine the yearly allocation of $625 billion of federal funds, by state and local policy makers, by businesses, and by civil rights and community groups.

The estimates in the tables below are from ACS 2016-2020. The five-year estimates enable data from smaller jurisdictions — like Eastern Shore counties — to be released; the ACS is often the only source of these data for rural and small communities.

The federal government has a vested interest in our ages. Age is critical to a large number of federal programs that target funds or services to children, working-age adults, women of childbearing age, or the older population. The U.S. Department of Education uses age data in its formula for allotment to states. The Veterans Administration uses age data to determine the need for hospitals, nursing homes, cemeteries, domiciliary services, and other benefits for veterans.

Median age is the age that divides the population into two equal-size groups: Half of the population is older than the median age and half is younger.

Wicomico and Somerset counties have the lowest median ages on the Eastern Shore, at 36 and 36.9 years — generally an indication of a younger population base. In 2023, the median age of the U.S. was 38.5 years (up from 29.5 years in 1960), and the median age of Maryland was 38.8 years in 2020. The rest of the Shore counties have a higher median age than the U.S. and Maryland, and the retirement meccas of Kent, Worcester, and Talbot counties have the highest.

Fun facts: The median age of U.S. senators is 65. The median age of congress members is 59. Compared to that, we look positively young on the Shore.

Educational attainment data are widely used. They are needed to determine the extent of illiteracy rates of citizens in language minorities in order to meet statutory requirements under the Voting Rights Act. Based on data about educational attainment, school districts are allocated funds to provide classes in basic skills to adults who have not completed high school.

The category ‘high school graduate or higher’ includes people 25 years and older whose highest degree was a high school diploma or its equivalent, people who attended college but did not receive a degree, and people who received an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or professional or doctorate degree. People who reported completing the 12th grade but not receiving a diploma are not included.

Eastern Shore county data for this educational attainment category ranges from 84% of residents in Somerset County to 93% in Queen Anne’s. Percent of high school graduate or higher was 89% for the U.S. for the same time period, and 91% for Maryland.

The foreign-born population (also referred to as immigrant population) includes anyone who was not a U.S. citizen at birth. This includes respondents who indicated they were a U.S. citizen by naturalization or not a U.S. citizen.

The ACS questionnaires do not ask about immigration status. The population surveyed includes all people who indicated that the U.S. was their usual place of residence on the survey date. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., immigrants), temporary migrants (e.g., foreign students), humanitarian migrants (e.g., refugees), and unauthorized migrants (i.e. people illegally present in the United States).

Compared with national and state totals, the Eastern Shore counties have relatively small foreign-born populations, ranging from 3.7% in Somerset to 8.2% in Wicomico. In 2021, immigrants comprised 13.6% of the total U.S. population; in Maryland this was 15% of population.

In Maryland:

More than half of all immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens
More than four in five immigrants reported speaking English “well” or “very well”
81% of immigrants are high school graduates or higher
7,870 active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients lived in Maryland as of March 2020 (DACA has been granted to 9,932 people total since 2012)
One in five workers in Maryland is an immigrant
In 2018, immigrant-led households in Maryland paid $8 billion in federal taxes and $4.1 billion in state and local taxes
Nearly a third of all Maryland healthcare support workers are immigrants, as are more than a third of the state’s building maintenance workers and groundskeepers
Immigrant business owners accounted for 23% of all self-employed Maryland residents and generated $1.7 billion in business revenue

A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied as separate living quarters. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated people who share living arrangements.

Average household size is obtained by dividing the number of people in households by the number of households.

Urban and regional planners rely on average household size for many of their models, calculations, and plans.

Average household size (also known as "people per household") is a reflection of many elements, for example:

Age of the population, as many older people tend to live in smaller households (one-person or two-person households)
Housing prices in the area, proximity to colleges and universities, and how likely people are to live with roommates
Family norms and traditions (e.g., multigenerational families are more common in some areas and with some population groups)

The average household in the U.S. was 5.79 people in 1790. By 2010, the average was down to 2.58, due to a declining fertility rate and the rise of the nuclear family in the intervening centuries. However, the size of households has been increasing slightly since then, resulting in an average household size of 2.61 people per household in 2023 — indicating an increase in multigenerational households and more shared living arrangements after the Great Recession of 2007-09.

By 2016, 20% of Americans lived in a multigenerational household, up from 12% in 1980. And in 2019, 20% of households were shared households, up from 17% in 2007.

Maryland’s average household size was 2.64 in 2023.

Four of the Shore counties hover around the U.S. and Maryland average. The exceptions are the retirement magnets (Kent, Worcester, and Talbot), and Somerset and Dorchester, all with lower average household sizes.

It’s important to keep an eye on this federal program, and ensure that it continues to be funded adequately. In 2012, the GOP-led House voted to eliminate the survey altogether, on the grounds that the government should not be “butting its nose into Americans’ homes.”

The bill’s sponsor, Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), complained that the survey is unconstitutional (it’s not) and that it “is a program that intrudes on people’s lives, just like the EPA or the bank regulators. What really promotes business in this country is liberty, not demand for information.”

That bill was not successful. The ACS has continued to be funded: $2.52 million was appropriated for FY2023, and $2.59 million has been requested for FY2024. The freedom-loving sentiments expressed by Rep. Webster more than 10 years ago have only strengthened in the time since, however. If the GOP ever gets around to releasing its budget proposal, the American people will discover the importance of data driven decision making to that sector of our legislators.

Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

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Megan Outten Launches Campaign for Wicomico County Council, District 7

By Friends of Megan Outten • July 29, 2025

Megan Outten, a lifelong Wicomico County resident and former Salisbury City Councilwoman, officially announced her candidacy recently for Wicomico County Council, District 7. At 33, Outten brings the energy of a new generation combined with a proven record of public service and results-driven leadership. “I’m running because Wicomico deserves better,” Outten said. “Too often, our communities are expected to do more with less. We’re facing underfunded schools, limited economic opportunities, and years of neglected infrastructure. I believe Wicomico deserves leadership that listens, plans ahead, and delivers real, measurable results.” A Record of Action and A Vision for the Future On Salisbury’s City Council, Outten earned a reputation for her proactive, hands-on approach — working directly with residents to close infrastructure gaps, support first responders, and ensure everyday voices were heard. Now she’s bringing that same focus to the County Council, with priorities centered on affordability, public safety, and stronger, more resilient communities. Key Priorities for District 7: Fully fund public schools so every child has the opportunity to succeed. Fix aging infrastructure and county services through proactive investment. Keep Wicomico affordable with smarter planning and pathways to homeownership. Support first responders and safer neighborhoods through better tools, training, and prevention. Expand resources for seniors, youth, and underserved communities. Outten’s platform is rooted in real data and shaped by direct community engagement. With Wicomico now the fastest-growing school system on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — and 85% of students relying on extra resources — she points to the county’s lagging investment as a key area for action. “Strong schools lead to strong jobs, thriving industries, and healthier communities,” Outten said. “Our schools and infrastructure are at a tipping point. We need leadership that stops reacting after things break — and starts investing before they do.” A Commitment to Home and Service Born and raised in Wicomico, Megan Outten sees this campaign as a continuation of her lifelong service to her community. Her vision reflects what she’s hearing from neighbors across the county: a demand for fairness, opportunity, and accountability in local government. “Wicomico is my home; it’s where I grew up, built my life, and where I want to raise my family,” Outten said. “Our county is full of potential. We just need leaders who will listen, work hard, and get things done. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do on the County Council.” Outten will be meeting with residents across District 7 in the months ahead and unveiling more details of her platform. For more information or to get involved, contact info@meganoutten.com

“Turtles All The Way Down”

By John Christie • July 29, 2025

Way back in 1935, the Supreme Court determined that independent agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) do not violate the Constitution’s separation of powers. Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935). Congress provided that the CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, would operate as an independent agency — a multi-member, bipartisan commission whose members serve staggered terms and could be removed only “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.” Rejecting a claim that the removal restriction interferes with the “executive power,” the Humphrey’s Court held that Congress has the authority to “forbid their [members’] removal except for cause” when creating such “quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial” bodies. As a result, these agencies have operated as independent agencies for many decades under many different presidencies. Shortly after assuming office in his second term, Donald Trump began to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of several of these agencies. The lower courts determined to reinstate the discharged members pending the ultimate outcome of the litigation, relying on Humphrey’s , resulting in yet another emergency appeal to the Supreme Court by the administration. In the first such case, a majority of the Court allowed President Trump to discharge the Democratic members of the NLRB and the MSPB while the litigation over the legality of the discharges continued. Trump v. Wilcox (May 22, 2025). The majority claimed that they do not now decide whether Humphrey’s should be overruled because “that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument.” However, hinting that these agency members have “considerable” executive power and suggesting that “the Government” faces greater “risk of harm” from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority gave the President the green light to proceed. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissented, asserting that Humphrey’s remains good law until overturned and forecloses both the President’s firings and the Court’s decision to award emergency relief.” Our emergency docket, while fit for some things, should not be used to “overrule or revise existing law.” Moreover, the dissenters contend that the majority’s effort to explain their decision “hardly rises to the occasion.” Maybe by saying that the Commissioners exercise “considerable” executive power, the majority is suggesting that Humphrey’s is no longer good law but if that is what the majority means, then it has foretold a “massive change” in the law and done so on the emergency docket, “with little time, scant briefing, and no argument.” And, the “greater risk of harm” in fact is that Congress provided for these discharged members to serve their full terms, protected from a President’s desire to substitute his political allies. More recently, in the latest shadow docket ruling in the administration’s favor, the same majority of the Court again permitted President Trump to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of another independent agency, this time the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Trump v. Boyle (July 23, 2025). The same three justices dissented, once more objecting to the use of the Court’s emergency docket to destroy the independence of an independent agency as established by Congress. The CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, was designed to operate as “a classic independent agency.” In Congress’s view, that structure would better enable the CPSC to achieve its mission — ensuring the safety of consumer products, from toys to appliances — than would a single-party agency under the full control of a single President. “By allowing the President to remove Commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence.” The dissenters also assert that the majority’s sole professed basis for the more recent order in Boyle was its prior order in Wilcox . But in their opinion, Wilcox itself was minimally explained. So, the dissenters claim, the majority rejects the design of Congress for a whole class of agencies by “layering nothing on nothing.” “Next time, though, the majority will have two (if still under-reasoned) orders to cite. Truly, this is ‘turtles all the way down.’” Rapanos v. United States (2006). * ***** *In Rapanos , in a footnote to his plurality opinion, former Supreme Court Justice Scalia explained that this allusion is to a classic story told in different forms and attributed to various authors. His favorite version: An Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant, he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.

“Andy Harris Just Made the Most Dangerous Vote of His Career”

By Shore Progress, Progessive Maryland, Progressive Harford Co • July 15, 2025

Marylanders will not forget this vote.

How Many Will Be Kicked Off Medicaid in MD-01 Because of Andy Harris?

By Jan Plotczyk • July 9, 2025

More than 30,000 of our neighbors in Maryland’s first congressional district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid because of provisions in the GOP’s heartless tax cut and spending bill passed last week.

Six Reasons Why the House Budget Bill Will Hurt Rural America

By Michael Chameides, Barn Raiser • May 21, 2025

Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.

Who Will SNAP Cuts Affect in Maryland? On the Eastern Shore?

By Catlin Nchako, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities • May 21, 2025

The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.