National Center for Healthy Housing

Baltimore, MD

Location Summary

Positive Findings: Compared to the national average, the Baltimore area has fewer homes with room heaters without flues and incomplete kitchens. Central city properties are less likely to have exposed wiring, room heaters without flues, and incomplete kitchens when compared to the national average. Outside the central city, the housing units are less likely to have rooms without electrical outlets and room heaters without flues. Rental properties are less likely to lack kitchen facilities and have room heaters without a flue. Owner-occupied dwellings outside the central city are less likely to have room heaters without flues and rooms without electrical outlets.

Areas for Improvement: Compared to the national average, homes in the metro area have more problems with signs of mice, broken plaster and peeling paint, cracks or holes in walls, water leaks from inside and out, water supply stoppage, and sewage disposal breakdowns. Central city properties in the Baltimore area have the problems listed above, along with holes in the floors, flush toilet breakdowns, and heating equipment breakdowns. Compared to the national average, homes outside the city of Baltimore are more likely to have signs of mice, water leaks from inside and out, sewage disposal breakdowns, and water supply stoppages. Owner-occupied homes have higher-than-national averages for holes or cracks in the walls, broken plaster and peeling paint, water leaks from inside and out, water supply stoppage, flush toilet breakdowns, sewage disposal breakdowns, and signs of mice. Rental homes are more likely to have open cracks in the walls, broken plaster, signs of mice, water leaks from inside, and water supply stoppage.

Community Information: The Baltimore MSA includes Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties, Maryland. In 2007, the MSA included 1,012,300 occupied dwelling units, 23.8% of which were located in the central city of Baltimore. The percentage of pre-1940 homes ranked 26th (14.4%) for the MSA and 28th (38.3%) for the central city. The median house age in the Baltimore MSA was 1971. The percentage of rental units ranked 19th (23.9%) for the MSA and 16th (44.0%) for the central city. Compared to other locations, Baltimore had a lower poverty rate for the MSA and higher poverty rate for homes in the city. Its poverty rate ranked 12th (9.9%) for the entire MSA and 25 (19.5%) for homes in the central city.