2023/2024 Chesapeake Bay & Watershed Report Card

This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of Chesapeake Bay and its Watershed. Since 2016, UMCES has engaged stakeholders throughout the watershed to transform the report card into an evaluation of the Chesapeake Watershed health. Watershed health includes traditional ecological indicators, but also economic and societal indicators. This is the fifth year the watershed has been scored, and while no new indicators were included this year there were multiple updates to existing indicators. Linkages and relationships between the ecological, economic, and societal indicators will be evaluated in future report cards.

Overall, the Chesapeake Watershed scored 52%, a C. There were four ecological indicators, four economic indicators, and four societal indicators.

Overall, Chesapeake Bay scored 55%, a C+, in 2023, showing a significantly improving trend. This is the highest overall grade for the bay since 2002.

Keywords: Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Bay Health, Watershed Health, Aquatic, Terrestrial, Societal, Report Card, environment, ecosystem, walkability, heat vulnerability index, social index, protected lands, stewardship, benthic community, water quality, fish community, economics, median household income, housing affordability, income inequality, jobs growth, ecological, societal, economic, environmental justice, plastics, debris, land use, listening session