About one in 13 people in St. Mary's County, Maryland, lives below the poverty line
In St. Mary's County, 7.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Mary's County's score
In St. Mary's County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.1. The typical household earns $116,969 a year (2024), more than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Mary'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.
Even so, St. Mary's County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.5 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 rent23.9% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 38.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people118 · 202545th percentile
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- 30.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 29.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.1% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$116,969 · 20242nd 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 St. Mary'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 St. Mary's County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Mary's County
Maryland
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Mary's County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 16.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In St. Mary's County, Maryland, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 16.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in St. Mary's County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 11.2%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2014 to 2015, reaching 11.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, St. Mary's County, Maryland.
How St. Mary's County has changed
St. Mary's County's population had its largest rise, from 63,245 in 1984 to 74,130 in 1989.
St. Mary's County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 116,469, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 116,469. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Mary's County, Maryland.
The number of jobs located in St. Mary's County had its largest rise, from 24,097 in 1995 to 33,333 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in St. Mary's County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 47,919, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 24,097. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Mary's County, Maryland.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.7% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,832 | 2024 $116,969 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 St. Mary's County's history
1984
A tornado in May 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in June 2006 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 113,777, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A thunderstorm in July 2023 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Mary's County. FEMA
St. Mary's County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border St. Mary's County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Mary's County ranks 2nd of the three; Charles County is highest, at 16.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles County, MD | 58 | 6.8% | 16.2% |
| Calvert County, MD | 20 | 5.8% | 15.4% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 19 | 7.9% | 16.2% |
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 St. Mary's County the poorest county in Maryland?
No, St. Mary's County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 15th 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, St. Mary's County ranks 18th of 24 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Mary'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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Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS)
Legal aid
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Maryland Legal Aid
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 St. Mary'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 St. Mary's County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.