Maryland County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 24 counties in Maryland, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 54.1. 11counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Maryland Snapshot
Maryland County Map
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All 24 Maryland counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Maryland's 24 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Maryland Counties
24 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Baltimore city | 88.7 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 2 | 74 | Somerset County | 83.3 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 3 | 294 | Prince George's County | 74.4 | Most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 298 | Dorchester County | 74.3 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 5 | 333 | Wicomico County | 73.2 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 6 | 659 | Caroline County | 66.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 7 | 670 | Allegany County | 66.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 8 | 673 | Charles County | 66.1 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 9 | 725 | Baltimore County | 65.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 1,059 | Washington County | 59.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 11 | 1,185 | Cecil County | 57.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 12 | 1,713 | Worcester County | 48.0 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 13 | 1,714 | Kent County | 48.0 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 1,779 | Harford County | 46.9 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 1,997 | Talbot County | 43.2 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 16 | 2,012 | St. Mary's County | 43.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 2,070 | Calvert County | 41.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 18 | 2,167 | Frederick County | 40.0 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 19 | 2,180 | Garrett County | 39.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 20 | 2,190 | Montgomery County | 39.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 21 | 2,224 | Anne Arundel County | 39.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 22 | 2,510 | Queen Anne's County | 32.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 23 | 2,529 | Howard County | 32.4 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 24 | 2,693 | Carroll County | 28.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.