About one in 15 people in Harford County, Maryland, lives below the poverty line
In Harford County, 6.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harford County's score
In Harford County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harford 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, Harford County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (221.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.2 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 rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.0% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people221.4 · 202580th percentile
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- 36.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.8% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.8% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 26.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.2% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 5.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.9% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.3% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$110,665 · 20243rd 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 Harford 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 Harford County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harford County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harford County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 17.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Harford County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 17.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.1% in 2011 to 6.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Harford County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 7.4%
Low on the chart: 4.0% 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, Harford County, Maryland.
How Harford County has changed
Harford County's population had its largest rise, from 176,500 in 1989 to 200,922 in 1994.
Harford County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 265,514, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 265,514. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harford County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Harford County doubled to 96,105, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 80,527. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harford County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.7% | 2024 6.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $39,972 | 2024 $110,665 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Harford County's history
1994
A tornado in November 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in March 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in August 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 260,924, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harford County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harford County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Harford County, in Maryland and Pennsylvania, two score higher. Of the group, Harford County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Cecil County gets the largest, at 23.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore County, MD | 61 | 9.3% | 17.1% |
| Cecil County, MD | 55 | 9.1% | 23.1% |
| Harford County, MD | 30 | 6.9% | 17.0% |
| York County, PA | 29 | 9.2% | 21.5% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
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 Harford County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Harford County's poverty rate was 6.9% in 2024, 17th 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, Harford County ranks 14th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harford 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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Harford County, Maryland
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 Harford 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 Harford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.