2025 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 sixth year the watershed has been scored, and one new ecological indicator, Temperature Stress, has been added.

Overall, the Chesapeake Watershed scored 57%, a C+. There were five ecological indicators, four economic indicators, and three societal indicators.

Overall, Chesapeake Bay scored 50%, a C, in 2025. This was a slight downturn from the previous year, but still a significantly improving long-term trend.

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, benthic community, water quality, fish community, temperature stress, economics, household income, affordable housing, income equality, jobs growth, ecology, society, economy, salt, conductivity, collaboration, support, research