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Bars in Maryland

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 11 Maryland counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 38% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Maryland

Bars

250

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.4

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

38%

vs. U.S.

Residents

5,435,838

in covered counties

Workers

2,082,811

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 11 Maryland counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Maryland

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Baltimore	Baltimore city	116–146	622,980	291,829	1.5	150–175%	Range spans bands
Hagerstown	Washington County	12–44	155,404	60,851	0.6	64–213%	Range spans bands
Owings Mills	Baltimore County	61–125	811,235	333,648	0.6	62–121%	Range spans bands
Annapolis	Anne Arundel County	24–92	579,103	233,423	0.3	34–123%	Range spans bands
La Plata	Charles County	4–46	170,349	35,482	0.2	21–232%	Range spans bands
Frederick	Frederick County	6–56	299,035	100,227	0.2	17–159%	Range spans bands
Bel Air	Harford County	4–42	262,768	79,293	0.1	13–138%	Range spans bands
Rockville	Montgomery County	17–137	1,076,754	436,377	0.1	13–77%	Range spans bands
Columbia	Howard County	3–45	336,999	188,514	0.1	7–94%	Range spans bands
Beltsville	Prince George's County	3–95	951,497	273,232	0.0	3–65%	Range spans bands
Westminster	Carroll County	0–24	169,714	49,935	0.0	0–112%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

150%

64%

62%

34%

21%

17%

13%

13%

Most competitors per capita

13%

13%

17%

21%

34%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.