In Prince George's County, Maryland, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Prince George's County, 30.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Prince George's County's score
In Prince George's County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 92.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Prince George's 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.
Prince George's County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.5%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($97,634, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.5 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 rent25.6% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.0% · fiscal year 202796th percentile
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- 83.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.6% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 78.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.1% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people238.4 · 202583rd percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 28.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$97,634 · 20246th 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 Prince George's 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 Prince George's County, 14.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Prince George's County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Prince George's County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Prince George's County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Prince George's County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 6.5% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2013, 1.3 points each year.
The share of households in Prince George's County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 12.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 7.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Prince George's County, Maryland.
How Prince George's County has changed
Prince George's County's population rose by about half to 966,629, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 924,329. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Prince George's County, Maryland.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Prince George's County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 328,137 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Prince George's County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.1% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $40,568 | 2024 $97,634 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Prince George's County's history
1696
Founded April 23, 1696. Wikipedia
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in October 1995 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in September 2001 did $100 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Lightning in June 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 967,201, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1971
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Prince George's County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Prince George's County beside its neighbors
Prince George's County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia. Of the group, Prince George's County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (17.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County, MD | 78 | 10.4% | 17.8% |
| Charles County, MD | 58 | 6.8% | 16.2% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 56 | 16.4% | 12.6% |
| Calvert County, MD | 20 | 5.8% | 15.4% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 20 | 7.5% | 7.6% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 18 | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 17 | 6.6% | 12.9% |
| Howard County, MD | 8 | 5.5% | 9.8% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 6 | 6.0% | — |
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 Prince George's County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, Prince George's County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 11th 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, Prince George's County ranks 4th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Prince George's 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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Centro de Apoyo Familiar (CAF) MD
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Homefree-usa of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP)
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.
Download the CSV for Prince George's 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 Prince George's County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.