Like other outlying sections of the Washington metropolitan area, Frederick County has experienced a rapid population increase since the 1980s.

Catoctin Mountain Park in the county is the location of Camp David, a U.S. presidential retreat, and Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army base.

[9] Frederick County straddles the boundary between the Piedmont Plateau Region and the Appalachian Mountains.

Attractions in the Frederick area include the Clustered Spires, a monument to Francis Scott Key, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Monocacy National Battlefield and South Mountain battlefields, and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.

Retrieved January 22, 2016. On December 1, 2014, Frederick County changed to a "charter home rule government".

Fire, rescue and emergency medical services, including advanced life support, are handled by career staffing supplemented by volunteers.

The county has a Maryland State Police Medevac located at the Frederick Municipal Airport and is designated "Trooper 3".

Trooper 3 handles calls throughout the state, but provides immediate assistance to local police, fire and rescue services.

Democratic strength is mostly concentrated in the City of Frederick, while the suburban and rural areas of the county lean more Republican.

[28] In the 2018 elections, despite increased support for Hogan, the Democrats experienced significant gains, securing a majority on the County Council and winning District 3B in the House of Delegates.

[31] After Biden's win in 2020, the trend towards Democrats continued in 2022, as Democrats increased their majority on the County Council by one seat and gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore won the county with over 53% of the vote compared to 43% for Republican and Emmitsburg resident Dan Cox, the first time Frederick County voted for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since William Donald Schaefer's landslide victory in 1986.

It provides police patrol and detective services within the unincorporated areas of Frederick County.

Frederick City, Brunswick, Mount Airy, Emmitsburg and Thurmont have municipal police departments.

[37] According to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the following are the principal employers in Frederick County.

This list excludes U.S. post offices and state and local governments, but includes public institutions of higher education.