The Baltimore Area Survey (BAS) is an annual, representative survey of Baltimore City and County residents being run by Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative. The BAS will help scholars, community members, and policymakers learn more about the Baltimore area’s strengths and challenges from residents.
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The Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative (BSEC) is designed to generate the science needed for informed energy investments and extreme weather resilience in Baltimore. In doing so, BSEC contributes to action plans for Baltimore that improve the well-being of residents across the region. Working with businesses, local and state government representatives, and community organizations, BSEC scientists produce the decision-relevant science needed to address local priorities and needs. As data is gathered and findings discovered, the work evolves to answer questions our partners identify.
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Sign UpExpectations of Future Climate Change Harm and Costs in the Baltimore Area
March 6, 2025
In this research brief, we examine the extent to which Baltimore-area residents are concerned about the future impacts of climate change and how those concerns differ by race, income, age, and geography.
January 23, 2025
The 2024 Baltimore Area Survey asked 163 questions of a statistically representative sample of residents who live in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The 2024 survey focused on four central topics: Neighborhoods and schools, local government services, food insecurity, and connectivity and mobility
Community Exposure to Drug Overdose and Addiction in Baltimore
September 17, 2024
Our new report, based on data from the 2023 Baltimore Area Survey, offers deeper understanding of the families touched by Baltimore’s growing drug addiction epidemic. Findings show the poorest and least educated are the most affected by fatal overdoses.
Finding the Next Nashville: The Importance of Good Governance
September 1, 2024
We examine the role of governance and policymaking on key factors that affect city vibrancy.
February 19, 2024
The Baltimore Music Census is an anonymous, voluntary survey designed to capture key information about the local music scene. The goal of this initiative is to support local musicians, educators, venues, promoters, industry personnel, and non-profits by giving them important, up-to-date data about the city’s music ecosystem.
A Portrait of Baltimore: Results of the 2023 Baltimore Area Survey
December 5, 2023
Co-designed by Johns Hopkins researchers in collaboration with community leaders, the inaugural Baltimore Area Survey attempts to address topics important to people who live there. The survey of 1,352 city and county residents, conducted by mail this summer, focuses on issues central to how people feel about and experience living in the area.
73% of Baltimore-area residents are concerned about the impact of climate change, JHU report says
March 7, 2025
Residents in the Baltimore area are concerned about the impacts of climate change, according to a report released by Johns Hopkins University Thursday.
Black Baltimoreans feel more climate anxiety, new survey finds
March 6, 2025
The survey found that Black residents like Broadwater are far more likely to feel climate anxiety than their white neighbors. Around 80% of Black respondents said they are at least somewhat concerned about personal harms from the changing climate, compared with 67% of white residents.
Who cares about climate change? JHU study claims to upend stereotypes
March 6, 2025
Baltimoreans who are black and wealthy - or poor and white - are the ones most likely to be concerned about climate change. That's according to a new Hopkins study, which found significant racial and economic differences in Baltimoreans' views on climate concerns.
Baltimore-area residents worry about effects of climate change on their lives
March 6, 2025
For Baltimore, climate change feels personal: Nearly three-quarters of city and county residents worry that climate change will hurt them, with that concern highest among the wealthiest Black households and the poorest white ones, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins University's 21st Century Cities Initiative.
Survey of Baltimore-area residents shows slight decline in food insecurity in 2024
January 24, 2025
The number of food-insecure Baltimore-area residents declined by 7.5 percentage points between 2023 and 2024, according to a survey by Johns Hopkins. The Baltimore Area Survey (BAS) asked a group of 1,492 Baltimore City and County residents how they felt about food and transportation access, local government, schools and other aspects of life.
Hopkins survey: Fewer Black residents were food insecure in 2024, but racial disparity remains
January 23, 2025
Far fewer Baltimore-area residents experienced food insecurity in 2024 than in 2023, although food insecurity continues to disproportionately impact Black people, according to a new survey by Johns Hopkins University.
