In Cecil County, Maryland, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Cecil County, 24.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 83% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cecil County's score
In Cecil County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 80.9. Late payments on loans come next, at 59.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cecil 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.
Cecil County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.6%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($89,501, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.1% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 59.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.4% · second quarter of 202647th percentile
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- 55.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
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- 53.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.2% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.9 · 202556th percentile
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- 15.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,501 · 202411th 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 Cecil 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 Cecil County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cecil County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cecil County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Cecil County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Cecil County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 13.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 8.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cecil County, Maryland.
How Cecil County has changed
Cecil County's population had its largest rise, from 84,591 in 1999 to 94,809 in 2004.
Cecil County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 106,305, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 103,381. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cecil County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cecil County doubled to 36,824, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 29,193. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cecil County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.5% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,132 | 2024 $89,501 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cecil County's history
1981
A tornado in May 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in July 2004 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A thunderstorm in September 2004 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 103,725, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cecil County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cecil County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cecil County, in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cecil County ranks 2nd of the six; Kent County is highest, at 24.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle County, DE | 58 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Cecil County, MD | 55 | 9.1% | 23.1% |
| Kent County, MD | 35 | 14.6% | 24.5% |
| Harford County, MD | 30 | 6.9% | 17.0% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
| Chester County, PA | 3 | 6.4% | 10.4% |
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 Cecil County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Cecil County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 14th 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, Cecil County ranks 10th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cecil 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) Family Education Center
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
Legal aid
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Maryland Legal Aid
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.
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 Cecil County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.