What percentage of people rent in Ellicott City, MD?

Name: Renters and owners in Ellicott City, MD, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

28.0% (±2.1 points) of the occupied homes in Ellicott City, MD are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 7,543 renting households against 19,376 that own their home.

In Ellicott City, the share of households that rent went from 25.9% in 2015–2019 to 28.0% in 2020–2024 (+2.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 28.0% (±2.1 points)
Renting households: 7,543 (±628)
Median renter income: $80,056 (±$12,898)

Who rents and who owns in Ellicott City

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Ellicott City	Howard County	Maryland	United States
Renter-occupied share	28.0% (±2.1 points)	28.5% (±1.0 points)	32.4% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	7,543 (±628)	34,532 (±1,160)	765,363 (±6,619)	45,017,354
Owning households	19,376 (±791)	86,533 (±1,272)	1,597,565 (±8,362)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.0 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$80,056 (±$12,898)	$86,111 (±$4,394)	$62,703 (±$866)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$190,442 (±$8,639)	$182,570 (±$3,497)	$129,423 (±$883)	$100,009

In Ellicott City, the renter share is not measurably different from Howard County (28.5%).

It is also lower than in Maryland (32.4%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Howard County, Ellicott City ranks 5 of 8 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 164 of 388.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Ellicott City has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	25.9% (±1.6 points)	28.0% (±2.1 points)	+2.1 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,615 (±$49)	$2,061 (±$94)	+27.6%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$131,534 (±$6,378)	$156,964 (±$11,037)	+19.3%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Ellicott City

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Ellicott City
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Ellicott City	—	28.0% (±2.1 points)	—
Catonsville	5.0 mi	30.3% (±2.6 points)	Not measurably different
Woodlawn (Baltimore County)	5.0 mi	37.1% (±2.9 points)	Higher
Columbia	5.4 mi	35.2% (±1.8 points)	Higher
Ilchester	5.7 mi	23.6% (±2.4 points)	Lower
Milford Mill	6.0 mi	53.6% (±3.7 points)	Higher
Randallstown	6.8 mi	26.1% (±3.3 points)	Not measurably different
Elkridge	7.5 mi	37.7% (±3.4 points)	Higher
Lochearn	7.5 mi	35.1% (±3.5 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Ilchester, MD (23.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Woodlawn (Baltimore County), MD (37.1%), Columbia, MD (35.2%), Milford Mill, MD (53.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Howard County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Savage	41.4% (±9.7 points)
2 (tie)	Elkridge	37.7% (±3.4 points)
2 (tie)	North Laurel	37.7% (±4.2 points)
4	Columbia	35.2% (±1.8 points)
5	Ellicott City	28.0% (±2.1 points)
6	Ilchester	23.6% (±2.4 points)
7	Fulton	20.1% (±6.7 points)
8	Scaggsville	7.7% (±5.8 points)

Ellicott City is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Ellicott City

How many renters are there in Ellicott City?

Ellicott City has an estimated 7,543 (±628) renting households, 28.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Ellicott City?

In Ellicott City, the share of households that rent went from 25.9% in 2015–2019 to 28.0% in 2020–2024 (+2.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Ellicott City?

A renting household in Ellicott City has 2.2 people on average, against 3.0 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Ellicott City?

The median renting household in Ellicott City, MD has an income of $80,056 (±$12,898) a year, against $190,442 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Ellicott City CDP, Maryland (place:26000, in state:24).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.