All 23 Maryland Counties

County seat: Cumberland

Allegany County sits in the Allegheny Highlands along the North Branch of the Potomac, between Cumberland and the Maryland–West Virginia line. Rail history, a small manufacturing base and outdoor recreation along the C&O Canal and Rocky Gap shape the county's economy.

County seat: Annapolis

Anne Arundel County runs from the Chesapeake Bay shoreline to the Patuxent River, with Annapolis as both the county seat and Maryland's capital. Waterfront communities, state government, Fort Meade and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport anchor a diverse economy.

County seat: Towson

Baltimore County surrounds Baltimore City on three sides but is governed separately. Towson, Owings Mills, Catonsville and the Essex and Dundalk waterfronts mix established suburbs with redevelopment along the county's older commercial corridors.

County-equivalent city

Baltimore City is an independent, county-equivalent jurisdiction on the Patapsco River, legally separate from Baltimore County since 1851. The Inner Harbor, Johns Hopkins institutions and a dense grid of historic neighborhoods define the city.

County seat: Prince Frederick

Calvert County is a narrow peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. Calvert Cliffs, small waterfront towns and a large commuter population define the county.

County seat: Denton

Caroline County is a rural Eastern Shore county along the Choptank River, known for farmland, small towns and the Tuckahoe Creek watershed. Denton serves as the county seat and largest town.

County seat: Westminster

Carroll County lies northwest of Baltimore, where rolling farmland meets the growing suburbs of Eldersburg and Mount Airy. Westminster anchors the county with a historic downtown and McDaniel College.

County seat: Elkton

Cecil County occupies the northeastern corner of Maryland, where I-95 crosses the Susquehanna River. Elkton, North East and Chesapeake City mix small-town waterfronts with warehouse and distribution development along the corridor.

County seat: La Plata

Charles County stretches from the Potomac River to the Patuxent in Southern Maryland. Waldorf's retail corridors, Indian Head's naval facility and a fast-growing commuter population define the county today.

County seat: Cambridge

Dorchester County is one of Maryland's largest counties by land area, a low-lying landscape of rivers, marsh and farmland along the Chesapeake. Cambridge, the county seat, has restored much of its historic waterfront downtown.

County seat: Frederick

Frederick County runs from the Potomac River north to the Catoctin Mountains, west of Montgomery County. Biotechnology, manufacturing and logistics have grown alongside the county's historic towns and farmland.

County seat: Oakland

Garrett County is Maryland's westernmost county, a high plateau of forests, farms and Deep Creek Lake. Tourism, outdoor recreation and small manufacturing support its towns.

County seat: Bel Air

Harford County sits between Baltimore and the Susquehanna River, with Chesapeake Bay shoreline in the south and farmland in the north. Aberdeen Proving Ground and its defense contractors are major employers.

County seat: Ellicott City

Howard County lies between Baltimore and Washington, anchored by the planned community of Columbia and the historic mill town of Ellicott City. Technology, health care and federal contracting drive its economy.

County seat: Chestertown

Kent County is a rural Eastern Shore county on the upper Chesapeake, with Chestertown's colonial downtown and Rock Hall's working harbor. Washington College and agriculture anchor the local economy.

County seat: Rockville

Montgomery County borders Washington, DC along the Potomac and stretches northwest toward Frederick County. Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville and Gaithersburg form a dense urban core, while the county's western third remains agricultural reserve.

County seat: Upper Marlboro

Prince George's County borders Washington, DC east of the Potomac, running from National Harbor to the Patuxent River. Federal installations, the University of Maryland and existing Metro corridors shape its development.

County seat: Centreville

Queen Anne's County spans the Eastern Shore side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, from Kent Island to the upper Choptank. Commuter growth on Kent Island and farmland elsewhere give the county two distinct characters.

County seat: Princess Anne

Somerset County is a low-lying peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Pocomoke River, one of the oldest settled areas in Maryland. Seafood, agriculture and Smith Island's watermen culture remain central.

County seat: Leonardtown

St. Mary's County occupies the southern tip of Maryland between the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. Naval Air Station Patuxent River, historic St. Mary's City and waterfront communities define the county.

County seat: Easton

Talbot County sits on Maryland's mid-Eastern Shore, with the Choptank River to the south and countless tidal creeks. Easton is the retail and medical hub, while St. Michaels and Oxford remain small waterfront towns.

County seat: Hagerstown

Washington County sits where the Blue Ridge meets the Great Valley, at the crossroads of I-70 and I-81. Hagerstown anchors the county, with Antietam battlefield and the C&O Canal drawing visitors to the south.

County seat: Salisbury

Wicomico County centers on Salisbury, the largest city on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Health care, education, agriculture and distribution along US 13 support the county's economy.

County seat: Snow Hill

Worcester County covers Maryland's Atlantic coast, from Ocean City and Assateague Island to the Pocomoke River forest. Tourism dominates the coast, while the interior remains largely rural.