Glen Burnie’s population saw a nearly 12% spike between 2022 and 2023, according to U.S. Census estimates, making it one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation. However, other resident indicators show a downtrend in the same time frame.

The unincorporated, 212-year-old town in northern Anne Arundel County gained more than 8,400 residents during the one-year span, bringing its most recent population estimate to 79,598, census data shows.

Its performance in comparison to the rest of the country was part of a recent report by the personal finance website SmartAsset, which ranked population data from 610 cities.

According to the report, the 11.82% increase in Glen Burnie residents was the third-highest in the United States, behind Silver Springs in Montgomery County and the city of New Braunfels, Texas, just north of San Antonio.

A “little bit” surprised by the findings, District 2 Council member Allison Pickard said the new report should serve as a “wake-up call” to officials considering where and how to direct funding.

“Where our population is centered, we should make sure resources are reaching those communities,” Pickard said Monday.

Because the new report is based on one year of American Community Survey data, however, its margin of error is higher than data that considers more years and bigger populations. The American Community Survey is an annual survey conducted by the U. S. Census Bureau that details population and housing information.

Longer-term data shows more modest growth in Glen Burnie. Censuses conducted every 10 years counted 72,891 residents in 2020 compared with 67,639 in 2010, a growth rate of about .08% a year. American Community Survey one-year estimates put Glen Burnie’s 2021 population slightly below the 2020 decennial census figure and indicated virtually no change in 2022.

The one-year data’s margin of error leaves open the possibility that Glen Burnie’s population has decreased between the two years considered, though that margin applies to every place considered by the SmartAsset report.

In place of census data, there are other indicators that can suggest population trends.

School enrollment figures from Anne Arundel County show a downward trend in student population between 2022 and 2023, but not within the weightier five-year difference.

There are 10 schools that feed into Glen Burnie High School: Corkran and Marley middle schools, as well as eight elementary schools.

According to the county’s annual reports on school capacity, in the schools that make up the Glen Burnie feeder schools, there was a 3.29% decrease in enrollment between 2022 and 2023. Compared to 2018, however, there was a 6.84% increase.

Both figures represent substantial differences to the population data showing Glen Burnie’s spiking popularity, though student enrollment does not take working adults or retirees into account. Census data does, however, indicate a nearly 5% increase in working-age residents between 2022 and 2023.

There are geographical and financial benefits to living in Glen Burnie.

Not only does Anne Arundel County have one of the lowest property tax rates in the state, but situated south of Baltimore, the highway network around Glen Burnie gives its residents speedy access to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington D.C.

Pickard said one of the factors that likely makes Glen Burnie so popular is its housing costs.

According to a December 2022 assessment prepared for Arundel Community Development Services, Inc., nearly three quarters of the rental housing units in the Glen Burnie-Linthicum submarket are affordable or rent restricted.

Additionally, of the county’s housing units that cost less than half of its median income to rent, the submarket has the most of any in Anne Arundel, outpacing the next closest market in Annapolis by nearly double.

“They’ve remained affordable,” Pickard said.

Pickard said costs are a characteristic that have defined the town for decades. Much of the area’s housing market, she noted, consists of smaller starter homes built to accommodate returning soldiers and their families after World War II.

That setup gave Pickard, who lives in Millersville, the perfect opportunity to introduce herself to residents on the campaign trail. Pickard said while knocking on doors she got a sense of what brought people in Glen Burnie together — one thing being the town itself.

“There’s a lot of really strong community, a lot of pride in the Glen Burnie area,” she said.

Have a news tip? Contact Luke Parker at lparker@baltsun.com, 410-725-6214 and x.com/@lparkernews.