Maryland - 5th District

Incumbent -- Steny H. Hoyer (D) ; Running for re-election

Updated March 2, 2010

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District Information

District Profile from Politics in America

The 5th includes part of Prince George's County, southern Anne Arundel County and all of the southern counties of Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's. The mix of liberals in Prince George's County and conservative Democrats and Republicans throughout much of the rest of the district gives the 5th a broad array of political interests. The tri-county's Southern rural character has begun to erode as traditional tobacco farming interests have given way to empty barns and subdivisions.

High-tech and government jobs, both in Prince George's County and in Southern Maryland, keep the economy stable. Its proximity to Washington, and jobs near Annapolis (the state capital), gives the 5th the nation's highest percentage of residents who are government workers (29 percent). Many residents and companies have migrated from the Washington metropolitan area to the southern counties, attracted by the abundance of land and the military presence. St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert rank first, second and fourth among Maryland's 23 counties for population growth since 2000, and the new density has led to traffic problems as portions of the workforce commute north to Washington.

Prince George's County, which accounts for nearly half the district's population and almost 60 percent of its registered Democrats, includes many liberal black communities as well as College Park, home of the University of Maryland's main campus. Republicans hold a slight registration edge among the 5th's Anne Arundel residents, but Democrats have the advantage elsewhere, and their statewide and federal candidates do well in the district. In the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama won the district handily, taking 65 percent of the vote.

Major Industry

Defense, agriculture, technology

Military Bases

Naval Air Station Patuxent River, 1,300 military, 6,214 civilian; Naval Support Facility Indian Head, 558 military, 2,392 civilian (2011)

Cities

Waldorf (unincorporated), 67,752; Bowie (pt.), 51,002; Clinton (unincorporated) (pt.), 35,968; College Park, 30,413

Notable

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is based in Greenbelt; the College Park Airport, established in 1909, is the world's oldest continuously operating airport.