Worcester County, MD
County Profile
53,700 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Worcester County, MD.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesWorcester County ranks in the top 11% of counties measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.6% and median household income of $81,745.
Public schools test above most of the state: 60% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 1% of published profiles for schools.
Residential permitting has slowed: 206 units authorized over the past twelve months, 35% below the prior year.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 3.6%, lower than in 70% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment grew 1.6% over the past year, to 29,460 employed residents.
35% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $90,073 | 89th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $75,690 | 83rd percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$4,1302024 ACS 5-Year | $81,745 | Top 16%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$3,0042024 ACS 5-Year | $53,274 | Top 5%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $69,230 | Top 19%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.5% | Top 24%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.5 min | Top 41%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 35.3% | Top 14%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.8% | 38th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 29,460 | Bottom 46%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +1.5% | Top 32%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +1.6% | Top 15%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 30,576 | 46th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.2% | Top 27%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.5% | 74th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.3% | Top 42%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 3.6% | Top 30%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.3% | 77th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
60% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 67% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 12.6 students for every full-time teacher across 12 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Decatur High | Worcester County Public Schools | 1,462 | 17.4 | 63% | 81% |
| Stephen Decatur Middle | Worcester County Public Schools | 665 | 12.8 | 57% | 73% |
| Showell Elementary | Worcester County Public Schools | 638 | 11.6 | 72% | 67% |
| Berlin Intermediate | Worcester County Public Schools | 613 | 12.0 | 53% | 62% |
| Ocean City Elementary | Worcester County Public Schools | 566 | 11.8 | 76% | 78% |
| Buckingham Elementary | Worcester County Public Schools | 518 | 12.0 | 57% | 62% |
| Pocomoke Elementary | Worcester County Public Schools | 491 | 13.3 | 72% | 47% |
| Pocomoke Middle | Worcester County Public Schools | 465 | 10.3 | 42% | 56% |
| Snow Hill Middle | Worcester County Public Schools | 404 | 9.6 | 35% | 50% |
| Snow Hill Elementary | Worcester County Public Schools | 387 | 12.9 | 57% | 42% |
| Pocomoke High | Worcester County Public Schools | 374 | 11.3 | 57% | 82% |
| Snow Hill High | Worcester County Public Schools | 368 | 11.5 | 62% | 72% |
48.8% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Maryland’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Maryland is up 46% over five years, and up 5.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,738 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.73% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,194, close to the $1,159 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,194 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $47,800 a year, about 58% of the median household income here of $81,745.
The typical renter household here spends 33% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,159 a month.
A median home at $374,700 costs 3.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $96,168, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Worcester County’s median household income of $81,745, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Maryland’s figure2026 Q2 | +5.3% | 78th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Maryland’s figure2026 Q2 | +46.0% | 57th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Maryland’s figure2026 Q2 | +90.3% | 45th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 3.9 | Bottom 12%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 78.0% | 70th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±962024 ACS 5-Year | 56,867 | 84th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,035 | Bottom 41%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,661 | Bottom 40%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,194 | Bottom 48%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$852024 ACS 5-Year | $1,159 | Bottom 19%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$9,4822024 ACS 5-Year | $374,700 | 89th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$722024 ACS 5-Year | $2,738 | 81st percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$5,0812024 ACS 5-Year | $96,168 | Top 17%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.73% | 44th percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 32.7% | Bottom 11%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±5472024 ACS 5-Year | 29,929 | 99th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 52.6% | 99th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.9% | 15th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±5502024 ACS 5-Year | 32,731 | 98th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 3% since 2020, reaching 54,337 in 2024.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 206 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Worcester County gained about 0.5% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $90,073, above the $75,690 of households that moved out.
At 3.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Wicomico County, MD 526 people · 16% of arrivals
- Sussex County, DE 217 people · 6.8% of arrivals
- Baltimore County, MD 186 people · 5.8% of arrivals
- Anne Arundel County, MD 168 people · 5.3% of arrivals
- Accomack County, VA 118 people · 3.7% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Wicomico County, MD 638 people · 21% of departures
- Sussex County, DE 349 people · 12% of departures
- Somerset County, MD 108 people · 3.6% of departures
- Baltimore County, MD 87 people · 2.9% of departures
- Anne Arundel County, MD 69 people · 2.3% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 28°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 42.6 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 42.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 28°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 84°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 40°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, inland flooding and coastal flooding, with hurricane alone responsible for 41% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, cold wave, wildfire, drought, ice storm, heat wave, inland flooding, earthquake, lightning, strong wind, tornado, landslide, hail, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Worcester County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.2 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 9.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 24.0 per 100,000 residents in Worcester County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Worcester County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Dover AFB at 63 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.2% | Top 18%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 63 mi | Bottom 18%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Top 43%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.8% | Top 23%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover AFB | DOV | 63 mi | 9,602 ft |
| Atlantic City Intl | ACY | 94 mi | 10,001 ft |
| Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood Marshall | BWI | 99 mi | 10,503 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.