About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Kent County, Maryland, have a job
In Kent County, 12.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kent County's score
In Kent County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 20.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 67.3 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kent 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, Kent County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.3 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 rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
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- 45.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,873 · 202427th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.4% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 36.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.7% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
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- 20.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people67.3 · 202518th 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 Kent 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 Kent County, 27.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kent County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kent County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Kent County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.8% in 2012 to 14.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 12.3%
Low on the chart: 6.0% 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, Kent County, Maryland.
How Kent County has changed
Kent County's population had its largest rise, from 17,753 in 1989 to 18,610 in 1994.
Kent County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19,557
High on the chart: 20,132 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kent County, Maryland.
The number of jobs located in Kent County had its largest drop, from 8,179 in 2015 to 7,180 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Kent County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 8,179 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kent County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,806 | 2024 $75,873 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Kent County's history
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,197. The 2020 Census counted 19,198, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kent County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kent County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Kent County, in Maryland and Delaware, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kent County ranks 2nd of the five; Kent County is highest, at 26.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, DE | 74 | 10.2% | 26.7% |
| 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% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 13 | 6.1% | 15.5% |
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 Kent County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Kent County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 5th 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, Kent County ranks 13th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kent 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) (kent Co)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Maryland Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Civil Justice, Inc.
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 Kent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.