Indicator 1.4.1 - The student will organize data appropriately using techniques such as tables, graphs, and webs (for graphs: axes labeled with appropriate quantities, appropriate units on axes, axes labeled with appropriate intervals, independent and dependent variables on correct axes, appropriate title).

Indicator 1.4.2 -The student will analyze data to make predictions, decisions, or draw conclusions.

• Historical population growth in Maryland by jurisdiction, 1790–2000
• Historical population growth (%) in Maryland by jurisdiction, 1790–2000
• Projected population growth in Maryland by jurisdiction, 2000–2030
• Population Pyramids for Maryland, 1950–2030
• Projected population by age by jurisdiction in Maryland, 2000–2030
• Average residential lot size for Maryland by decade, 1940-1999
• Average residential lot size by jurisdiction 1990-1999

• Average household size by jurisdiction in Maryland, 1970-2030

Population growth has become a very important global issue.  For thousands of years the birth rate and death rate were nearly equal and the world’s population remained relatively constant.  With advances in areas such as technology and medicine the population of the earth has grown.  As the population of humans has grown, so too have the stresses on our environment and natural resources.

An increase in population can translate into an increase in pollution, a depletion of natural resources, and congestion or overcrowding.  More importantly, though, how we grow can have a major influence in increasing or minimizing the environmental impact.

Since 1790, when the first U.S. Census was taken until 2000 when the last Census was taken, Maryland has grown by nearly 5.0 million people, an increase of 1,557 percent!  Have the students make graphs using the historic population data from 1790 to 2000 to show the change in the State’s population by decade.  Have students calculate the percent change in the State’s population by decade.

Use this information to examine the State’s population growth over the last two centuries and answer some basic questions such as:

• In what decade did Maryland have its largest gain (in total population and percent change)?
• In what decade did Maryland have its slowest growth (in total population and percent change)?
• In general, how did growth in the last half of the 20^th Century compare to growth in the first half of the Century?

• Which jurisdictions grew the least between 1790 and 2000? Which jurisdictions grew the most?
• In what year did Baltimore City have just over 50 percent of the State's population?
• What has happened to the City's population since then in terms of absolute totals and share of the State's population?
• Describe the development pattern from 1960 through 1997 for Baltimore City, and then for your own county.
• Compare the development patterns during these two periods in terms of population growth and land use for Baltimore City, and then for your own county. How did development occur differently during these two periods?

• How does the projected population change and percent change over the next three decades compare to the previous three decades for the State? Is population increasing at a greater rate or at a slower rate?

Examine population projections by county (and Baltimore City):

• Which counties are projected to grow the most?  The least?
• Describe the projected growth pattern for your county.  How does this projected growth pattern compare to what has happened over the last 30 years?

• The total amount of population growth is one factor in identifying potential environmental and other impacts, but the characteristics of that growth and how it is accommodated are equally important.  The same population gains at different points in time or in different geographic areas can mean a different number of houses constructed due to different household sizes (the number of people per household).  Household sizes will vary over time and place due to different age structures of the population.  A younger age profile generally suggests larger household sizes, while a population dominated by the elderly suggests smaller household sizes.  Thus the same population increase can mean more households (with a smaller average household size) or fewer households (with a larger average household size).
• Study the household size data for Maryland and its jurisdictions for the 1970-2000 period.  What general conclusions can you draw about the change in household size over the last thirty years?
• Study the projected household sizes over the 2000-2030 period.  What conclusions can you draw about the projected household size change?  Is it changing in the same direction as in the three previous decades?  Is it occurring at the same rate of change?
• Study the population pyramids for Maryland for the 1950 to 2000 period. These depict the State’s total population by age group and gender for each point in time.  What is happening to the shape of these pyramids?  Which age cohorts (groups) seem to be growing from one time period to the next?  Which are shrinking?
• Study the population pyramids for the 2000 to 2030 period.  Describe the shape of the 2030 pyramid.  How does it differ from the 2000 pyramid?
• Look at the projected population by age for your jurisdiction. Which age cohorts are gaining the most over the next 30 years?  What might be your conclusions on the number of new births (0-4 age group); the number of new school-age children (age group 5-19); those which would desire apartments or starter homes (age group 20-34); those that would need larger houses (age group 35-49), or those which might need apartments or senior housing (age group 65+).

Contents | Understanding Population Growth | Maryland Population Data
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