In 2026, Howard County Government partnered with the University of Baltimore’s Schaefer Center for Public Policy’s 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. 672 households completed the RHC.
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.
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% of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the services provided by the government, 63.1% of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the performance of county agencies, and 60.3% of residents who are very satisfied or satisfied with the local government’s responsiveness to the community.