Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and the University of Baltimore Announce Release of Comprehensive Quality of Life Survey Report

Earlier this year, Howard County Government partnered with the Schaefer Center to conduct a “Quality of Life” survey to better understand how county residents perceive their quality of life. The survey was developed by the Schaefer Center in collaboration with Howard County Government personnel, departments, and offices. Conducted as two surveys, a Random Household Survey (RHS) and an Open Public Survey (OPS), the two surveys included questions on:

Overall quality of life;
Affordability and cost of living;
Job availability and career opportunities;
Housing;
Impacts of the federal employment changes;
Public safety;
Education;
Recreation and parks;
Transportation and infrastructure; and
County budget

The RHS post card invitation was sent to 10,000 Howard County households selected randomly using an address-based sampling methodology derived from the United States Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File to participate in the survey from May 11 to June 8, 2026. The invitation included instructions for completing the survey online via a URL or QR code or by calling a toll-free number to complete the survey with a trained interviewer. Of the 672 households who completed the RHC, the key findings were:

Overall Quality of Life

Howard County residents are overwhelmingly satisfied with their quality of life in the county. Almost nine out of 10 rating their overall quality of life as good or very good or good and eight out of 10 residents are likely or very likely to recommend Howard County as a place to live or work.
The majority of residents are satisfied with most aspects of Howard County Government. This includes 70.5 percent of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the services provided by the government, 63.1 percent of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the performance of county agencies, and 60.3 percent of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the local government’s responsiveness to the community.

Affordability and Cost of Living

Affordability and cost of living continue to be a concern felt among Howard County residents. Nearly 60 percent of residents feel that Howard County’s cost of living is less affordable than other metropolitan areas in Maryland.
More than two thirds (72.8 percent) of residents report not experiencing difficulties when paying their monthly bills during the past 12 months, while 27.2 percent reported some level of difficulty paying monthly bills during the past year.
When asked to rate which household expenses were most difficult to cover, respondents characterized childcare and energy costs as among the most difficult expenses.

Job Availability and Career Opportunities

Residents are generally positive about the availability of jobs in their field in Howard County, with 39.4 percent of respondents rating job availability as good or very good and 41 percent neutral on the issue.
Approximately one-third (33.9 percent) of respondents who reside in Howard County also reported working at a job within Howard County.

Housing

Slightly more than one-third of Howard County residents plan to move within the next five years, while 62.3 percent do not plan to move. Of those who plan to move within the next five years, 64.1 percent report planning to leave the area.
Recipients noted that the primary challenge in finding desired housing in Howard County is cost, with 78.7 percent reporting that the cost of housing is a major or moderate challenge.

Impacts of the Federal Employment Changes

Less than two-thirds (63.6 percent) of households do not have a member employed by the federal government or related employers.
Among the 36.1 percent of households with a member employed by the federal government, a federal contractor, or another business related to the federal government, 53.2 percent reported that their employment has been not affected by the federal actions since January 2025, while 40.7 percent reported that they or a member of their household had employment affected by federal actions.
- Of those whose employment was impacted, most currently work for the federal government or a federal contractor.
- More than half (53.4 percent) of residents, however, are very concerned about the potential negative impacts of federal government actions on themselves or their families.

Public Safety

Residents feel safe in Howard County during the day (93.5 percent) and at night (81.7 percent).
Residents are very confident in their local public safety agencies and generally rate them highly. Over half (56.4 percent) are very confident that Fire and Rescue teams will respond to emergencies within approximately eight minutes, the local expected response time, and another 33.6 percent are confident in the response time.
Almost three-quarters (74.2 percent) of residents are confident or very confident that local law enforcement will act fairly and professionally.

Education

Residents are generally satisfied with the accessibility, quality, and affordability of education and learning opportunities in Howard County, sharing high satisfaction ratings with library services, K-12 education, community college programs, and senior education programs in Howard County.
The affordability of childcare and pre-K remains a concern for Howard County families, with more than 40 percent expressing dissatisfaction with the affordability of childcare and more than a quarter expressing dissatisfaction with the affordability of pre-k.

Recreation and Parks

Residents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the availability and overall quality of recreation and parks facilities in Howard County.
Majorities of residents are very satisfied or satisfied with the availability of park facilities (90.8 percent), trails (83.0 percent), playgrounds (83.8 percent), fields (76.1 percent), courts (65.1 percent), and indoor recreation facilities (63.8 percent).
Similarly, majorities say that the overall quality of parks (88.8 percent), trails (82.9 percent), playgrounds (81.6 percent), fields (78.3 percent), courts (70.4 percent), and indoor recreation facilities (64.1 percent) are very good or good.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Residents have mixed views on transportation and infrastructure in Howard County, rating the quality of some infrastructure good but being neutral on much.
Most residents rate traffic signals and roadway signage (74.7 percent), road conditions (62.8 percent), and overall roadway safety (57.8 percent) very good or good in Howard County.
Slightly less than half (47.3 percent) consider pedestrian and bicycle safety very good or good. Notably, while 26.8 percent of residents rate traffic congestion poor or very poor, 41.5 percent of residents consider it very good or good.
Residents are generally happy with walking and biking infrastructure in Howard County and neutral on public transportation services.

County Budget

Residents overwhelmingly feel that Howard County’s income and property tax rates are too high relative to the services provided, with 41.9 percent saying they are very high and 40.5 percent saying they are a little high.
Residents are split on how well they feel the County balances its budget, with 38.3 percent reporting the County balances the budget well or very well, 35.3 percent reporting a neutral opinion, and 26.4 percent thinking the County balances the budget poorly.
While majorities of residents feel that income and property tax rates are high, more than 75 percent of respondents feel that each area of the County budget should either be increased or remain the same.

While the RHS was mailed directly to randomly selected households, the OPS was an open public survey link included in Ball’s weekly electronic newsletter, The Ball Bulletin, from June 15 to July 6, 2026. The OPS blurb in The Ball Bulletin included instructions for Howard County residents, age 18 and older, to complete the survey online. Questions in the OPS were identical to the RHS (with the addition of a question asking for the respondent’s zip code) and overall, the responses were also similar. For its OPS, the Schaefer Center received 631 completed survey responses.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.