Benefit checks make up 38 cents of every dollar of income in Allegany County, Maryland
In Allegany County, 38.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Allegany County's score
In Allegany County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 75.9. Unemployment averaged 5.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 90% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 60.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Allegany County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Allegany County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.8%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 60.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.2% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people150.1 · 202559th percentile
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- 59.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.6% · 202473rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.7% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability21.1% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance3.8% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,215 · 202460th percentile
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- 59.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.9% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.9% · second quarter of 202663rd percentile
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- 38.5 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Allegany County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Allegany County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Allegany County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Allegany County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Allegany County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Allegany County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.3% in 2010 to 14.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Allegany County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 22.0%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 22.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Allegany County, Maryland.
How Allegany County has changed
Allegany County's population fell by about a fifth to 67,097, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1979 to 1984, reaching 77,474. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Allegany County, Maryland.
The number of jobs located in Allegany County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 28,969 in 2015 to 26,086 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Allegany County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 30,274 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Allegany County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.9% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 16.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,129 | 2024 $63,215 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Allegany County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 89,556. The 2020 Census counted 68,106, 76% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in June 1998 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in September 2000 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Allegany County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Allegany County beside its neighbors
Allegany County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Of the group, Allegany County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegany County, MD | 64 | 16.6% | 38.3% |
| Washington County, MD | 52 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Hampshire County, WV | 52 | 14.1% | 30.0% |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 | 13.2% | 32.8% |
| Bedford County, PA | 38 | 11.7% | 30.3% |
| Somerset County, PA | 32 | 12.4% | 31.1% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
| Morgan County, WV | 26 | 11.2% | 33.5% |
| Fulton County, PA | 17 | 10.7% | 28.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Allegany County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Allegany County's poverty rate was 16.6% in 2024, 3rd highest of 24 in Maryland (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Somerset County, at 20.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Allegany County ranks 6th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Allegany County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission, Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Maryland Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Civil Justice, Inc.
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Allegany County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Allegany County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.