Prince George's County, Maryland
Above the national median for rent-to-income ratio — and 2.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Steele County, ND — 12%).
Main Findings
Prince George's County, Maryland ranks 402nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: a rent-to-income ratio of 28% — above the national median of 21%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 402nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 72.3 · high county distress, 3rd in Maryland.
- A rent-to-income ratio of 28% (U.S. median 21%). Rent-to-income ratio at the 91st percentile nationally. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
- Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 90th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 238 — national median 126, ranked at the 83rd percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 38-point drop to Fairfax County, VA marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Prince George's County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis)."
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Prince George's County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Prince George's County's value shown alongside MD's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Prince George's | MD median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 88 · Rank 282 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 5% | 5% | 87th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 5% | 5% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 35% | 21% | 23% | 89th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 79 · Rank 463 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 30% | 18% | 23% | 74th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 238 | 146 | 126 | 83rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 89 · Rank 175 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 28% | 21% | 21% | 91st | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 25% | 22% | 18% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 77 · Rank 673 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 77th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 28 · Rank 2,450 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 14% | 13% | 18% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 10% | 12% | 16% | 5th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 11% | 10% | 14% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 5% | 8% | 72nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Prince George's County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 149-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Prince George's County ranks 402nd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 72.3 out of 100 gives Prince George's a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 401 counties rank more distressed. Within Maryland, Prince George's ranks third of 24 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Prince George's. A rent-to-income ratio of 28% — above the national median of 21%.
"Prince George's County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
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