Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland by poverty rate

Somerset County had the highest poverty rate of 24 counties in 2018, at 23.4%. Howard County had the lowest, at 5.2%. The median was 8.8% and the figure for Maryland was 9.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest23.4Somerset County
Lowest5.2Howard County
Median8.824 counties
Maryland9.1History

All counties, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Somerset CountySomerset County: 23.4 %23.4Baltimore cityBaltimore city: 18.9 %18.9Allegany CountyAllegany County: 16.7 %16.7Dorchester CountyDorchester County: 15.4 %15.4Wicomico CountyWicomico County: 14.6 %14.6Caroline CountyCaroline County: 13.2 %13.2Kent CountyKent County: 12.9 %12.9Garrett CountyGarrett County: 12.2 %12.2Washington CountyWashington County: 11.1 %11.1Worcester CountyWorcester County: 10.4 %10.4Baltimore CountyBaltimore County: 9.9 %9.9Talbot CountyTalbot County: 9.2 %9.2Cecil CountyCecil County: 8.3 %8.3Prince George's CountyPrince George's County: 8.3 %8.3St. Mary's CountySt. Mary's County: 8 %8Anne Arundel CountyAnne Arundel County: 7 %7Harford CountyHarford County: 7 %7Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 6.9 %6.9Charles CountyCharles County: 6.6 %6.6Queen Anne's CountyQueen Anne's County: 6.5 %6.5Frederick CountyFrederick County: 6.2 %6.2Carroll CountyCarroll County: 6 %6Calvert CountyCalvert County: 5.4 %5.4Howard CountyHoward County: 5.2 %5.2
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Somerset County23.4-1.3 pts
2Baltimore city18.9-3.2 pts
3Allegany County16.7-0.3 pts
4Dorchester County15.4-0.3 pts
5Wicomico County14.6-0.4 pts
6Caroline County13.2-0.6 pts
7Kent County12.9+0.1 pts
8Garrett County12.2+0.4 pts
9Washington County11.1-2.2 pts
10Worcester County10.4+0.5 pts
11Baltimore County9.9+1.6 pts
12Talbot County9.2+0.1 pts
13Cecil County8.3-1.4 pts
13Prince George's County8.3-0.3 pts
15St. Mary's County8-0.5 pts
16Anne Arundel County7+0.9 pts
16Harford County7-0.1 pts
18Montgomery County6.9-0.1 pts
19Charles County6.6-0.9 pts
20Queen Anne's County6.5-1.2 pts
21Frederick County6.2-0.5 pts
22Carroll County6+1 pts
23Calvert County5.4-0.6 pts
24Howard County5.2-0.7 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank Counties in Maryland by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Somerset County, with 23.4% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Howard County, with 5.2% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Maryland: more rankings