In Charles County, Maryland, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Charles County, 23.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Charles County's score
In Charles County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 79.0. About one in four renters (24.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 85% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 76.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Charles 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.
Charles County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($125,985, 2024) and people below the poverty line (6.8%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.0 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 76.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people268.6 · 202587th percentile
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- 74.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.7% · August 202581st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.4% · second quarter of 202657th percentile
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- 41.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
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- 7.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.8% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.1% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability11.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$125,985 · 20241st 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 Charles 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 Charles County, 13.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Charles County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Charles County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 16.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Charles County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.2%; 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 Charles County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 9.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2011, reaching 6.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Charles County, Maryland.
How Charles County has changed
Charles County's population had its largest rise, from 118,571 in 1999 to 135,601 in 2004.
Charles County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 174,478, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 174,478. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Charles County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Charles County rose by more than half to 43,545, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 43,545. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Charles County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 6.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $42,831 | 2024 $125,985 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Charles County's history
1996
A storm surge/tide in September 1996 did $1.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in June 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in April 2002 did $114 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 166,617, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Charles County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Charles County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Charles County, in Maryland and Virginia, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Charles County ranks 2nd of the four; Prince George's County is highest, at 17.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County, MD | 78 | 10.4% | 17.8% |
| Charles County, MD | 58 | 6.8% | 16.2% |
| Calvert County, MD | 20 | 5.8% | 15.4% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 19 | 7.9% | 16.2% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
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 Charles County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Charles County's poverty rate was 6.8% in 2024, 18th 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, Charles County ranks 9th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Charles 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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Southern Maryland Tri-county Community Action
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.
Download the CSV for Charles 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 Charles County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.