Washington County, Maryland

Washington County is a county in Maryland, United States, in the state’s westernmost panhandle, anchored by the city of Hagerstown where Interstate 81 crosses Interstate 70. It had a population of 154,705 at the 2020 census and covers 467 square miles (1,210 km2), of which 458 square miles is land and 9.6 square miles is water, centred near 39°36′N 77°49′W.

Hagerstown is the county seat, and its postal code is 21740. Washington County contains one city, eight incorporated towns, and dozens of unincorporated communities and census-designated places. The county observes Eastern time and carries FIPS code 24043.

Towns & Villages in Washington County

Washington County’s settlements split into one city, eight incorporated towns, and a long roster of census-designated places (CDPs) and unincorporated communities scattered through the Hagerstown Valley and the surrounding ridges. Only Hagerstown’s population is verified below to a current figure; the county’s smaller places do not each have a confirmed 2020 count, so those cells read —.

Two entries deserve a note. Highfield-Cascade is the Census Bureau’s current merged name for what older lists split into separate “Highfield” and “Cascade” entries near the Pennsylvania line, and Trego-Rohrersville Station likewise merges what used to be counted as two riverside hamlets along the C&O Canal.

ZIP Codes

• 21740, 21741, 21742, 21746, 21747, 21749 — Hagerstown (the city’s ZIP range, also serving Halfway and Leitersburg)
• 21713 — Boonsboro
• 21722 — Clear Spring
• 21750 — Hancock
• 21756 — Keedysville
• 21767 — Maugansville
• 21779 — Rohrersville
• 21782 — Sharpsburg
• 21783 — Smithsburg
• 21795 — Williamsport
• 21711 — Big Pool
• 21719 — Cascade (also covers Fort Ritchie and Highfield-Cascade)

Funkstown and most of the small CDPs share a Hagerstown ZIP code rather than carrying their own post office designation.

Geography

Washington County sits in the Hagerstown Valley, part of the Great Valley of the Appalachians, flanked by South Mountain to the east and the Blue Ridge/North Mountain chain to the west. The Potomac River forms almost the entire southern county line, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal follows its Maryland bank. Antietam Creek, the site of the 1862 battle, crosses the county’s rolling farmland before joining the Potomac near Sharpsburg.

The county borders Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Fulton County, Pennsylvania to the north; Frederick County, Maryland to the east; Allegany County, Maryland to the west; and, across the Potomac, Berkeley County, West Virginia, Jefferson County, West Virginia, and Morgan County, West Virginia to the south and southwest.

Demographics

Washington County had 154,705 residents at the 2020 census, the highest total of any Western Maryland county. Hagerstown is the largest place by far at 43,527, followed at a distance by the Halfway CDP just south of the city. Median household income runs below the Maryland median of $98,678, reflecting the county’s mix of manufacturing, warehousing, and agricultural employment rather than the Washington-Baltimore commuter economy found closer to the capital. Population density works out to roughly 338 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Hagerstown’s position at the junction of Interstate 81 and Interstate 70 has made logistics and warehousing the county’s fastest-growing sector, with e-commerce and distribution facilities expanding along both corridors. Meritus Health, the county’s hospital system, is the largest employer, followed by the financial-services and payment-processing operations run locally by Citi and First Data. Orchards and dairy farms remain part of the Hagerstown Valley’s economy, and tourism tied to Antietam National Battlefield, the C&O Canal, and the Appalachian Trail draws visitors through the western end of the county.

History

The Maryland General Assembly created Washington County on September 6, 1776, carving it out of Frederick County. It was the first county in the United States named for George Washington, who was still leading the Continental Army when the legislature acted. The county’s best-known event came on September 17, 1862, when the Battle of Antietam was fought on farmland near Sharpsburg — still the bloodiest single day in American military history — three days after the Battle of South Mountain was fought along the county’s eastern ridge. The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, completed through the county in the 1830s, once carried coal and farm produce along the Potomac before railroads and, later, the interstate highways took over that trade.

Getting There

Interstate 81 runs north-south through Hagerstown, and Interstate 70 crosses it east-west, with US-40 and US-11 providing older parallel routes through the valley.

• Frederick, Maryland — 27 miles southeast
• Martinsburg, West Virginia — 20 miles southwest
• Chambersburg, Pennsylvania — 25 miles north
• Washington, D.C. — 75 miles southeast

Hagerstown Regional Airport offers general-aviation and limited commercial service; the nearest major commercial airports are Baltimore/Washington International, about 70 miles east, and Washington Dulles International, about 75 miles south.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Washington County, Maryland?
It sits in the state’s westernmost panhandle, in the Hagerstown Valley between South Mountain and the Blue Ridge, bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and West Virginia across the Potomac River to the south.

What is the population of Washington County?
154,705 people at the 2020 census, the largest population of any Western Maryland county.

How big is Washington County?
467 square miles (1,210 km2), of which 458 square miles is land and 9.6 square miles is water.

What is the Washington County seat?
Hagerstown is the county seat and largest city, with a 2020 population of 43,527.

How many towns are in Washington County?
One city, eight incorporated towns — Boonsboro, Clear Spring, Funkstown, Hancock, Keedysville, Sharpsburg, Smithsburg, and Williamsport — plus dozens of unincorporated communities and census-designated places.

What ZIP codes are in Washington County?
Hagerstown uses 21740 through 21749; outlying towns each carry their own code, including 21713 (Boonsboro), 21750 (Hancock), and 21782 (Sharpsburg).

What Civil War battle was fought in Washington County?
The Battle of Antietam, fought near Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862, remains the bloodiest single day in American military history.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Maryland.