Worcester County, Maryland

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.8 | 54,171 people · 12th most distressed in Maryland

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Worcester County, MD falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.8 — 1765th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Maryland, it ranks 12th of 24 counties. Among its 4 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Worcester County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 65.2 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 65.2
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 83
Business Formation Rate 17
Housing Cost Burden 62.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 86
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 80
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 80
Homeownership Rate 37
Rent-to-Income Ratio 28
Income & Poverty 45.0
Poverty Rate 21
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 32
Debt & Delinquency 34.3
Debt in Collections 22
Medical Debt 22
Student Loan Delinquency 62
Auto Loan Delinquency 25
Credit Card Delinquency 26
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 48
Community Vulnerability 32.3
Uninsured Rate 24
Disability Rate 41

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Worcester County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Worcester County
Worcester County, MD 47.8 Normal
Somerset County, MD 65.5 Serious +17.7
Wicomico County, MD 59.3 Elevated +11.5
Accomack County, VA 57.6 Elevated +9.8
Sussex County, DE 46.3 Normal -1.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Worcester County
Hancock County, ME 47.8 Normal -0.0
Chelan County, WA 47.8 Normal +0.1
Lenawee County, MI 47.7 Normal -0.1
Lamar County, MS 47.7 Normal -0.1
Pulaski County, MO 47.7 Normal -0.1

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