Town · Maryland
Charlestown, Maryland
Charlestown, town, in Cecil County, Maryland. Charlestown had 1,553 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.8% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,496 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,999 (±487). GEOID 2415400.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,553
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,496 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,999 ±487
Median household income
$122,125
±$39,930 (90% margin)
Maryland: $103,678
Median home value
$378,400
±$38,374 (90% margin)
Maryland: $419,900
Median gross rent
$1,735
±$218 (90% margin)
Maryland: $1,705
Where is Charlestown and what county is it in?
Charlestown is a town in Cecil County, Maryland. It covers 1.2 square miles of land, 1,280 residents per square mile in 2020.
Charlestown is in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 11 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Charlestown, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,553 people lived in Charlestown on July 1, 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, faster than Maryland (+1.4%). The 2020 Census counted 1,496 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,999 (±487).
| Measure | Charlestown | Cecil County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,999 ±487 | 104,960 | no clear change |
| Households | 725 ±159 | 40,595 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.74 ±0.29 | 2.54 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 765 ±163 | 44,355 | no clear change |
Charlestown's population since 2000
From 1,019 in 2000 to 1,553 in 2025: up 52.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Charlestown as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Charlestown?
The median resident of Charlestown is 37.5 years old; 28.5% are under 18 and 14.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 86.6%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.7%.
| Measure | Charlestown | Cecil County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.5 ±3.5 | 40.6 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 28.5% ±5.2 pts | 22.2% | – |
| 65 years and over | 14.8% ±5.7 pts | 17.1% | – |
| Male | 53.2% ±4.7 pts | 49.5% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4.7% ±4.7 pts | 5.6% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 86.6% ±7.4 pts | 80.4% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 4.3% ±4.5 pts | 7.1% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.3% ±0.4 pts | 1.2% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.1 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±2.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 3.4% ±2.4 pts | 5.0% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.8% ±0.9 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 1.2% ±0.8 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 4.9% ±3.7 pts | 6.9% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 10.9% ±4.6 pts | 8.4% | – |
| With a disability | 13.1% ±4.9 pts | 13.1% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 2.4% ±1.7 pts | 3.6% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 92.0% ±4.2 pts | 91.8% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 38.2% ±9.0 pts | 28.0% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 17.4% ±5.6 pts | 11.2% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 94.8% ±5.3 pts | 91.9% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.0% ±1.4 pts | 3.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Charlestown earn?
Half of Charlestown's 725 households earn less than $122,125 a year (±$39,930), against $92,007 in Cecil County and $103,678 in Maryland. In 2015-2019 it was $117,044 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart.
| Measure | Charlestown | Cecil County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,125 ±$39,930 | $92,007 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $123,347 ±$14,868 | $112,022 | – |
| Per capita income | $44,375 ±$5,954 | $43,250 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 8.5% ±6.8 pts | 10.8% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 6.8% ±9.7 pts | 15.3% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 4.8% ±5.0 pts | 13.4% | – |
| Households with a computer | 98.1% ±2.1 pts | 95.5% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 95.6% ±3.3 pts | 91.3% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Charlestown?
Owners occupy 92.3% of Charlestown's occupied homes and renters 7.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $378,400 by its owner (±$38,374). The median renter pays $1,735 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Charlestown | Cecil County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $378,400 ±$38,374 | $343,400 | +$77,495 |
| Median gross rent | $1,735 ±$218 | $1,377 | +$277 |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 31.4% ±42.9 pts | 39.7% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $2,228 ±$145 | $2,013 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 92.3% ±5.9 pts | 75.3% | +23.5 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 7.7% ±5.9 pts | 24.7% | – |
| Housing units | 765 ±163 | 44,355 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±5.9 pts | 1.8% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±45.3 pts | 6.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 94.9% ±5.0 pts | 71.3% | – |
| Mobile homes | 0.0% ±5.4 pts | 5.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 8.6% ±6.2 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 21.2% ±5.3 pts | 8.9% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 25.1% ±8.8 pts | 9.6% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 0.4% ±0.7 pts | 4.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Charlestown work and get to work?
77.8% of Charlestown's workers drive alone and 15.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 30.5 minutes.
| Measure | Charlestown | Cecil County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 62.9% ±7.9 pts | 62.3% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% ±3.3 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 77.8% ±8.1 pts | 75.3% | – |
| Carpooled | 4.6% ±5.1 pts | 8.5% | – |
| Public transportation | 1.3% ±1.6 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Walked | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 2.0% | – |
| Worked from home | 15.5% ±7.1 pts | 12.4% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 30.5 min ±5.1 | 28.5 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Charlestown?
No census tract lies mostly in Charlestown; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 309.07Cecil County | 4,820 | $102,750 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Charlestown) · Census block assignment files
How does Charlestown compare with other places in Maryland?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Charlestown is the 8,607th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 87th-most populous of 157 in Maryland.
Charlestown ranks 130th of 322 places in Maryland with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 87th | 157 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 28th | 99 |
| Residents per square mile | 242nd | 326 |
| Median household income | 130th | 322 |
| Per capita income | 210th | 326 |
| Median home value | 200th | 323 |
| Median gross rent | 155th | 288 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 185th | 325 |
| Median age | 225th | 326 |
| Owner-occupied share | 53rd | 323 |
| Work from home | 189th | 293 |
| Travel time to work | 183rd | 325 |
Charlestown's figures with every place in Maryland (CSV)
Every place in Maryland, sortable · Compare Charlestown with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Charlestown?
25 of the 57 figures for Charlestown on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Charlestown are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Charlestown.