St. Mary's County, Maryland

County Distress Index: Healthy · 33.5 | 115,281 people · 18th most distressed in Maryland
American Default Research

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St. Mary's County, MD ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 33.5 — 2727th 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 18th of 24 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. St. Mary's County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 65.3 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 65.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 68
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 76
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 70
Homeownership Rate 59
Rent-to-Income Ratio 54
Employment & Wages 47.0
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 57
Business Formation Rate 62
Debt & Delinquency 33.3
Debt in Collections 31
Medical Debt 27
Student Loan Delinquency 25
Auto Loan Delinquency 36
Credit Card Delinquency 36
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 46
Income & Poverty 13.8
Poverty Rate 9
Income vs. State Median 20
Child Poverty Rate 12
Community Vulnerability 8.0
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 11

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How St. Mary's County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. St. Mary's County
St. Mary's County, MD 33.5 Healthy —
Somerset County, MD 65.5 Serious +32.0
Dorchester County, MD 62.7 Elevated +29.2
Westmoreland County, VA 62.0 Elevated +28.5
Northumberland County, VA 44.8 Normal +11.3
Charles County, MD 42.6 Normal +9.1
Calvert County, MD 32.6 Healthy -0.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. St. Mary's County
Scott County, KY 33.4 Healthy -0.1
Fond du Lac County, WI 33.7 Healthy +0.2
Stafford County, VA 33.3 Healthy -0.2
Eagle County, CO 33.7 Healthy +0.2
York County, VA 33.8 Healthy +0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for St. Mary's County as a CSV file.

Find Help in St. Mary's County

Find an Attorney

Maryland State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Maryland State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 410-685-7878

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving St. Mary's County residents at no cost.

Maryland Legal Aid 410-539-5340
Community Law Center (Baltimore) 410-366-0922
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) 410-539-6800
Civil Justice (Baltimore) 410-706-0900

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for St. Mary's County, Maryland?

    St. Mary's County has a County Distress Index score of 33.5 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,727th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 18th in Maryland out of 24 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in St. Mary's County?

    The primary driver of distress in St. Mary's County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 65.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does St. Mary's County compare to neighboring counties?

    St. Mary's County (33.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Somerset County, MD (65.5); Dorchester County, MD (62.7); Westmoreland County, VA (62.0).

  • 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 St. Mary's County?

    St. Mary's County, Maryland has a population of approximately 115,281 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a mid county.