Cities › MD
Baltimore
Mayor Brandon Scott · Democratic · in office since Dec. 8, 2020
The Executive Summary
Mayor Brandon Scott (D) has led Baltimore since Dec. 2020; on economic outcomes — the only thing this site scores for mayors — Baltimore ranks No. 19 of 21 big cities. On Scott's watch, median household income rose $59,165 → $64,778 across 2022–2024; unemployment rose 3.8% → 5.2% across 2022–2025. Crime, housing and schools are not in this score, and outcomes are shared with the council and the economy — association, not causation.
| Unemployment 5.2% (2025) | −1.08σ · +13.89%/yr vs peers +5.05%/yr · 2022–2025 (4 pts) |
| Median household income $64,778 (2024 · constant 2024 $) | +0.07σ · +4.64%/yr vs peers +1.65%/yr · 2022–2024 (3 pts) |
| Poverty rate 17.7% (2024) | −0.33σ · -2.19%/yr vs peers -2.06%/yr · 2022–2024 (3 pts) |
| Government form | Strong mayor |
Baltimore is a strong-mayor city, so day-to-day administration answers to Brandon Scott. The score is Baltimore's economic trend during their tenure, measured against the other 49 largest cities over the same years.
Sources: unemployment — BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · median household income — Census ACS 1-year, CPI-U deflated · poverty rate — Census ACS 1-year (B17001). Unemployment runs through 2025; income and poverty through 2024. The 2025 unemployment point is an eleven-month average — October 2025 was never collected during the federal shutdown — and it is included and flagged here under the same rule the state pages apply to the same statistic (one statistic, one rulebook, as of v2.6; through v2.5 city pages excluded it instead, and the changelog says so).
Scored on economic outcomes only — unemployment, real median income and poverty. Crime, housing and health are not yet included, so this is a narrower measure than a governor’s. Two denominators. The rank is out of 21 — the mayors with enough scored years to rank. 21 of 50 cities are scored, 0 of those are early reads left unranked, and 29 mayors are not yet scorable. Each σ is measured against all 49 other cities. Government form follows standard reference classifications and was not verified city by city. Methodology
The Rundown
No. 19 of 21 big-city mayors — on economics, and only economics.
Median household income. Worse than the typical big city. $59,165 → $64,778 across 2022–2024.
Poverty rate. Worse than the typical big city. 18.5% → 17.7% across 2022–2024.
Unemployment. Worse than the typical big city. 3.8% → 5.2% across 2022–2025.
How this is scored: 60% is where Baltimore stands against the other 49 largest cities, 40% is which way it moved on Mayor Scott's watch — the same rule governors get. It covers 3 economic outcomes only: crime, housing and schools are not in this grade, so it is narrower than a governor's. Baltimore is a strong-mayor city, so day-to-day administration answers to the mayor.
Baltimore sits in MD, whose governor Wes Moore does not yet hold a ranked statewide record, so there is no state standing to quote beside this page. State outcomes would not be the mayor’s grade in any case — a city is not a state.