About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Caroline County, Maryland, is not working
In Caroline County, 22.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 62% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 60% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caroline County's score
In Caroline County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 64.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 172.7 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 67% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 62.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caroline 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.
Caroline County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (11.1%, 2024) and median household income ($72,564, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.9% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people172.7 · 202567th percentile
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- 62.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.4% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.8% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 60.2 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202761st percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202652nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,564 · 202434th 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caroline County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Caroline County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Caroline County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caroline County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.6% in 2011 to 14.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Caroline County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17.6%
High on the chart: 18.9% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Caroline County, Maryland.
How Caroline County has changed
Caroline County's population nearly doubled to 34,248, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 26,664. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caroline County, Maryland.
The number of jobs located in Caroline County had its largest rise, from 7,835 in 1995 to 8,857 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Caroline County rose 28% from 1990 to 2020, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 9,342 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caroline County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.1% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,556 | 2024 $72,564 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Caroline County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $3.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,293, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in July 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caroline County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caroline County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Caroline County, in Maryland and Delaware, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Caroline County ranks 2nd of the six; Dorchester County is highest, at 31.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester County, MD | 83 | 14.1% | 31.5% |
| Kent County, DE | 74 | 10.2% | 26.7% |
| Caroline County, MD | 60 | 11.1% | 27.8% |
| Sussex County, DE | 41 | 9.5% | 26.3% |
| Talbot County, MD | 25 | 9.9% | 17.6% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 13 | 6.1% | 15.5% |
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 Caroline County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Caroline County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 9th 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, Caroline County ranks 8th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caroline 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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Maryland Rural Development Corporation (MRDC)
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 Caroline 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 Caroline County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.