Not all places in Maryland were created equal. According to the Gini Index, a measure of income distribution, Pikesville is the most unequal place in Maryland. The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale of one to zero, with zero being perfect equality. Pikesville has a Gini coefficient of 0.51. The most equal place in Maryland is Marlboro Village with a Gini coefficient of 0.29.
Alan Berube, Deputy Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute, said the Gini coefficient of a place depends heavily on the types of jobs in that area and the local economy.
He said big cities tend to have higher Gini coefficients due to having a larger variety of jobs. Pikesville is northwest of Baltimore City, while Marlboro Village is located near Upper Marlboro, a more rural area.
Wealthy places in Maryland have lower Gini coefficients, which means they have a more equal income distribution among residents.
Berube said wealthy communities tend to be more homogeneous in terms of income, as there aren’t as many pockets of poverty within them. Additionally, places with lower median incomes have some pockets of wealth and some pockets of poverty, which would lead to a higher Gini coefficient.
Both Pikesville and Marlboro Village illustrate a trend in Maryland: places with a white majority population tend to have higher Gini coefficients. Pikesville is 76 percent white and Marlboro Village is six percent white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.