About one in 19 people in Frederick County, Maryland, lives below the poverty line
In Frederick County, 5.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Frederick County's score
In Frederick County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 76.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Frederick 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.
Even so, Frederick County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.8 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.1% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.3% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people114.5 · 202543rd percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 20.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.2% · second quarter of 20268th percentile
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- 4.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.3% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.0% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability9.9% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$121,380 · 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 Frederick 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 Frederick County, 15.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Frederick County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Frederick County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 13.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Frederick County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.0%; 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 Frederick County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 7.4%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 5.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Frederick County, Maryland.
How Frederick County has changed
Frederick County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 267,598 in 2019 to 299,317 in 2024.
Frederick County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 299,317, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 93,756. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Frederick County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Frederick County doubled to 106,962, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 77,069. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Frederick County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.5% | 2024 5.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $39,443 | 2024 $121,380 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Frederick County's history
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Heavy rain in July 2005 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in June 2006 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in May 2018 did $43.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 271,717, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Frederick County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Frederick County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Frederick County, in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Frederick County ranks 5th of the eight; Washington County is highest, at 24.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MD | 52 | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Franklin County, PA | 32 | 9.3% | 22.7% |
| Frederick County, MD | 19 | 5.3% | 13.0% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 18 | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Adams County, PA | 15 | 7.7% | 23.2% |
| Carroll County, MD | 9 | 5.8% | 15.3% |
| Howard County, MD | 8 | 5.5% | 9.8% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 3 | 4.3% | 6.5% |
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 Frederick County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Frederick County's poverty rate was 5.3% in 2024, the lowest 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, Frederick County ranks 19th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Frederick 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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The City of Frederick
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 Frederick 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 Frederick County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.