Wicomico County was granted a charter form of government in 1964.[4]
In the period after theReconstruction era, Wicomico County became solidlyDemocratic because of its strong support for secession and state efforts todisfranchise most blacks by raising barriers to voter registration. Independent insurgent white groups worked tointimidate and discourage black voters, especially in rural areas.[5]
NoRepublican carried Wicomico County until 1928, whenHerbert Hoover won because of anti-Catholic sentiment in the heavily Protestant county against Democratic candidateAl Smith. The popular generalDwight D. Eisenhower carried Wicomico in 1952. Eisenhower again carried Wicomico in 1956; and RepublicanRichard Nixon won it in 1960, againstJohn F. Kennedy who, like Al Smith, was Catholic.
No Democratic presidential nominee has won Wicomico County sinceLyndon Johnson’s landslide in1964, as white conservatives increasingly moved into the Republican Party.[6]Bill Clinton, a son of the South, came within 384 votes of beatingBob Dole in 1996. The county trended Republican in 2000 and 2004, butBarack Obama obtained a higher proportion of the county vote in 2008 and 2012, likely benefiting from support from young, educated, or minority voters. In 2020,Joe Biden came extremely close to winning the county, withDonald Trump only edging him out by 890 votes.[7] Biden obtained 47.7% of the county's vote, the highest percentage for any Democrat since 1964. Trump also won less than 50% of the vote, the first time a Republican had been held below a majority of the vote in Wicomico County since 1996.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024[8]
Wicomico County's government, since 2006, uses a council-elected executive system where the voters elect members of the County Council and Executive. Before 2006, the county operated under a council-administrator system where voters elected council members who in turn appointed an administrator to oversee the government.[11]
The legislative functions of government are vested in theCounty Council.[12] The County Council consists of seven members, five of whom are elected fromsingle-member districts; the other two are electedat-large.
Thecounty executive[14] oversees the executive branch of the County government, which consists of a number of offices and departments.[15] The executive branch is charged with implementing County law and overseeing the operation of County Government. The position of County Executive was established by a modification of the county's Charter in 2006. Day-to-day functions of the executive branch fall to the appointed Director of Administration, who also serves as the Acting County Executive during vacancies in the office of the County Executive.[16][17] Upon the death of Robert L. "Bob" Culver Jr., on July 26, 2020,[18] the Wicomico County Council appointed then-Director of Administration John D. Psota to that role in an acting capacity until the 2022 election cycle for the county executive seat.[19]
In June 2024, the Wicomico County Council voted to approve a referendum for the2024 elections on whether to restore Wicomico County to acouncil–manager government, thereby abolishing the county executive position. The measure, which was not approved by voters, would have gone into effect at the conclusion of Julie Giordano's current term in late 2026.[20][21]
The Wicomico CountyState's Attorney is responsible for prosecuting the felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile cases occurring in the county. The current elected State's Attorney is Jamie Dykes.[23]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 400 square miles (1,000 km2), of which 374 square miles (970 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (6.4%) is water.[24]
The county's boundary withDelaware is composed of theMason-Dixon line and theTranspeninsular Line. The intersection of these two historical lines is the midpoint of the Transpeninsular Line, fixed byMason andDixon between 1763 and 1767. The midpoint is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury, near the center of theDelmarva Peninsula. The county is generally flat, characteristic of the region, with a few small hills in the northeast. The lowest elevation is at sea level and the highest elevation is 98 ft (30 m).
Wicomico County, Maryland – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 103,588. The median age was 37.9 years, 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 17.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.6 males. 73.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.9% lived in rural areas.[34][35]
There were 40,018 households in the county, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 32.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[35]
There were 43,682 housing units, of which 8.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.2% were owner-occupied and 40.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%.[35]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 98,733 people, 37,220 households, and 24,172 families living in the county.[37] The population density was 263.7 inhabitants per square mile (101.8/km2). There were 41,192 housing units at an average density of 110.0 per square mile (42.5/km2).[38] The racial makeup of the county was 68.7% white, 24.2% black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population.[37] In terms of ancestry, 15.7% wereEnglish, 15.1% wereGerman, 13.6% wereIrish, 6.0% wereAmerican, and 5.6% wereItalian.[39]
Of the 37,220 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 35.7 years.[37]
The median income for a household in the county was $50,752 and the median income for a family was $62,150. Males had a median income of $42,408 versus $34,544 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,505. About 7.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.[40]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 84,644 people, 32,218 households, and 21,779 families living in the county. The population density was 224 inhabitants per square mile (86/km2). There were 34,401 housing units at an average density of 91 per square mile (35/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.58%White, 23.29%Black orAfrican American, 0.22%Native American, 1.75%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.80% fromother races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 2.18% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 32,218 households, out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% weremarried couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,035, and the median income for a family was $47,129. Males had a median income of $32,481 versus $23,548 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,171. About 8.70% of families and 12.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
^Levine, Mark V.; "Standing Political Decisions and Critical Realignment: The Pattern of Maryland Politics, 1872–1948";The Journal of Politics, volume 38, no. 2 (May 1976), pp. 292–325
