In Garrett County, Maryland, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Garrett County, 18.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Garrett County's score
In Garrett County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 19.9. About one in nine renters (11.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Garrett 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, Garrett County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (19.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working19.1% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 48.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability19.8% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,553 · 202447th percentile
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- 37.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.3% · second quarter of 202634th percentile
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- 26.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.6% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.4 · 202523rd percentile
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- 19.9 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 rent11.8% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st 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 Garrett 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 Garrett County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Garrett County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Garrett County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Garrett County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Garrett County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.1% in 2012 to 14.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Garrett County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 15.1%
Low on the chart: 8.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Garrett County, Maryland.
How Garrett County has changed
Garrett County's population had its largest rise, from 23,361 in 1974 to 26,158 in 1979.
Garrett County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28,393
High on the chart: 30,147 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Garrett County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Garrett County rose by about a quarter to 12,052, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 11,480. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Garrett County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.3% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.0% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,446 | 2024 $67,553 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Garrett County's history
1967
A tornado in May 1967 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in January 1996 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in June 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 30,097. The 2020 Census counted 28,806, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Garrett County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Garrett County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Garrett County, in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, score higher than it does. Of the group, Garrett County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Allegany County gets the largest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 86 | 14.7% | 33.7% |
| Allegany County, MD | 64 | 16.6% | 38.3% |
| Preston County, WV | 54 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| Grant County, WV | 48 | 14.5% | 36.7% |
| Mineral County, WV | 45 | 13.2% | 32.8% |
| Somerset County, PA | 32 | 12.4% | 31.1% |
| Garrett County, MD | 26 | 12.3% | 27.5% |
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 Garrett County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Garrett County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 7th 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, Garrett County ranks 15th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Garrett 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 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 Garrett 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 Garrett County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.