Montgomery County, Maryland
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Montgomery County. Population: 1,058,474 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Montgomery County, MD ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 34.8 — 2656th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Maryland, it ranks 16th of 24 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Montgomery County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Community Vulnerability
Income & Poverty
How Montgomery County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, MD | 34.8 | Healthy | — |
| Prince George's County, MD | 58.1 | Elevated | +23.3 |
| District of Columbia, DC | 47.6 | Normal | +12.8 |
| Frederick County, MD | 32.9 | Healthy | -1.9 |
| Fairfax County, VA | 26.6 | Healthy | -8.2 |
| Howard County, MD | 26.1 | Healthy | -8.7 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, NY | 35.1 | Normal | +0.3 |
| Allegheny County, PA | 35.2 | Normal | +0.3 |
| Wake County, NC | 33.6 | Healthy | -1.2 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 33.3 | Healthy | -1.5 |
| King County, WA | 31.8 | Healthy | -3.1 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Montgomery County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Montgomery County, Maryland?
Montgomery County has a County Distress Index score of 34.8 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,656th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 16th in Maryland out of 24 counties.
What drives financial distress in Montgomery County?
The primary driver of distress in Montgomery County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 80.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Montgomery County compare to neighboring counties?
Montgomery County (34.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Prince George's County, MD (58.1); District of Columbia, DC (47.6); Frederick County, MD (32.9).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Montgomery County?
Montgomery County, Maryland has a population of approximately 1,058,474 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.