Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, FEMA National Risk Index, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Counties in Maryland ranked

3.9%of income goes to home energy in Somerset County, the highest of 23 Maryland counties

Howard County is lowest at 1.4%, a gap of 2.9 times. The median Maryland county sits at 2.3%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Maryland: DOE LEAD 2022.

Maryland county map

Maryland counties, shaded by quintile of the selected measureWashington County: 2.3%Allegany County: 3.2%Queen Anne's County: 2.5%Charles County: 2.2%Anne Arundel County: 1.6%Garrett County: 2.7%St. Mary's County: 2.2%Somerset County: 3.9%Caroline County: 3.6%Wicomico County: 2.8%Cecil County: 2.9%Harford County: 1.9%Baltimore County: 2.0%Dorchester County: 3.4%Calvert County: 2.0%Carroll County: 1.9%Frederick County: 1.6%Montgomery County: 1.4%Worcester County: 2.5%Howard County: 1.4%Prince George's County: 2.0%Kent County: 3.1%Talbot County: 2.4%
  • 1.4% to 1.9%
  • 1.9% to 2.2%
  • 2.2% to 2.5%
  • 2.5% to 3.1%
  • 3.1% to 3.9%

Maryland counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.

Highest energy burden in Maryland

Somerset County leads Maryland on burden at 3.9% of income and Caroline County follows at 3.6%. For lower-income homes the top is Somerset County: 9.4% of income, against 7.6% in the median Maryland county.

home energy burden, % of income, top 10 Maryland counties

  • Somerset County3.9
  • Caroline County3.6
  • Dorchester County3.4
  • Allegany County3.2
  • Kent County3.1
  • Cecil County2.9
  • Wicomico County2.8
  • Garrett County2.7
  • Worcester County2.5
  • Queen Anne's County2.5
  • Maryland median county2.3
Maryland counties with the lowest home energy burden
Lowest burden in MarylandShare of income (MD)Residents (MD)
Howard County1.4%333,916
Montgomery County1.4%1,057,586
Anne Arundel County1.6%590,936
Frederick County1.6%280,341
Harford County1.9%262,509

Storm reports and FEMA risk in Maryland

NOAA logged 128 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Kent County from 2015 to 2025, 664 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Maryland. FEMA scores Baltimore County highest at 94.0 (relatively moderate). In Maryland these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.

Maryland top 5: Storm reports per 100,000 residents
Top 5 in Marylandreports 2015-2025 (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Kent County66419,2651st
Talbot County32937,7072nd
Caroline County31133,4063rd
Allegany County29767,7624th
Garrett County29628,7135th
Maryland top 5: FEMA risk score
Top 5 in Marylandscore 0-100 (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Baltimore County94.0849,5861st
Prince George's County93.2955,5842nd
Montgomery County91.71,057,5863rd
Anne Arundel County81.9590,9364th
Frederick County74.2280,3415th

Flood claims and flood insurance in Maryland

Somerset County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Maryland: 15.1 from 2015 to 2025, against 1.9 in the median Maryland county. Worcester County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (23.9%, median county 1.2%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.

Maryland top 5: Flood claims per 1,000 homes
Top 5 in Marylandclaims 2015-2025 (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Somerset County15.124,6851st
Dorchester County14.332,6122nd
Queen Anne's County4.750,9513rd
Talbot County4.137,7074th
Worcester County2.553,2795th
Maryland top 5: Flood insurance penetration
Top 5 in Maryland% of homes insured (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Worcester County23.9%53,2791st
Somerset County15.9%24,6852nd
Talbot County9.7%37,7073rd
Dorchester County8.8%32,6124th
Queen Anne's County7.9%50,9515th

FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.

Outliers: Maryland counties far from the state median

9 county-measure pairs sit 3 or more scaled median-absolute-deviation units from the Maryland median. Most extreme: Worcester County, share of homes with flood insurance 23.9% against a median of 1.2%.

Maryland outliers by deviation from the state median
CountyMeasureValueMaryland medianDeviations
Worcester CountyFlood insurance penetration23.9%1.2%+21.5
Somerset CountyFlood insurance penetration15.9%1.2%+14.0
Somerset CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes15.11.9+12.8
Dorchester CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes14.31.9+12.1
Talbot CountyFlood insurance penetration9.7%1.2%+8.1
Dorchester CountyFlood insurance penetration8.8%1.2%+7.3
Queen Anne's CountyFlood insurance penetration7.9%1.2%+6.4
Kent CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents664160+4.0
Kent CountyFlood insurance penetration4.5%1.2%+3.2

Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Maryland

Allegany County has the oldest stock: 79% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Calvert County at 72% of homes, and Montgomery County lists 3 utilities, the most in Maryland.

Maryland top 5: Homes built before 1980
Top 5 in Maryland% of homes (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Allegany County79%67,7621st
Baltimore County59%849,5862nd
Dorchester County59%32,6123rd
Washington County58%155,0334th
Prince George's County54%955,5845th
Maryland top 5: Homes heated by electricity
Top 5 in Maryland% of homes (MD)Residents (MD)Rank (MD)
Calvert County72%93,7911st
Queen Anne's County65%50,9512nd
Worcester County63%53,2793rd
Somerset County61%24,6854th
Kent County61%19,2655th

Find your Maryland county

  • Pick a Maryland county to see its ranks.

All 23 Maryland counties, sortable

23 Maryland counties, all measures
Allegany County67,7623.2%7.6%29758.579%29%11.90.5%201
Anne Arundel County590,9361.6%6.0%5481.945%49%11.92.5%321
Baltimore County849,5862.0%6.6%5294.059%37%11.21.2%438
Calvert County93,7912.0%7.2%20528.931%72%22.22.0%192
Caroline County33,4063.6%9.1%31145.749%58%2no data1.1%104
Carroll County174,3181.9%6.4%13159.544%50%20.50.3%228
Cecil County104,3662.9%8.5%20258.640%37%22.11.4%211
Charles County168,7102.2%8.1%14944.129%56%11.40.9%252
Dorchester County32,6123.4%8.8%27353.859%53%214.38.8%89
Frederick County280,3411.6%5.7%12674.235%50%10.90.6%352
Garrett County28,7132.7%7.6%29616.048%26%10.60.4%85
Harford County262,5091.9%6.4%15872.540%42%20.60.6%416
Howard County333,9161.4%5.5%7572.430%49%22.30.8%249
Kent County19,2653.1%9.1%66427.553%61%21.74.5%128
Montgomery County1,057,5861.4%5.7%5391.749%41%31.00.8%558
Prince George's County955,5842.0%6.0%3193.254%40%31.80.9%295
Queen Anne's County50,9512.5%9.4%27735.634%65%24.77.9%141
Somerset County24,6853.9%9.4%23159.645%61%315.115.9%57
St. Mary's County114,3722.2%7.7%20042.630%59%12.12.4%229
Talbot County37,7072.4%8.3%32942.446%60%34.19.7%124
Washington County155,0332.3%5.9%14368.858%52%20.40.5%221
Wicomico County104,1172.8%7.3%8860.846%60%22.41.3%92
Worcester County53,2792.5%8.4%16068.237%63%22.523.9%85

Download CSV, 23 rows

Maryland: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.

Sources

Maryland sources with periods and retrieval dates
SourcePeriodRetrieved
DOE LEAD (MD)20222 Oct 2026
FEMA NRI (MD)Dec 20252 Oct 2026
NOAA Storm Events (MD)2015 to 20252 Oct 2026
Census ACS (MD)2019 to 20232 Oct 2026
EIA-861 (MD)20241 Oct 2026

Maryland LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.

Keep going

Other states: Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana.

Questions

Which Maryland county has the highest home energy burden?

Somerset County: 3.9% of income, against 2.3% for the median Maryland county (DOE LEAD 2022).

Which Maryland county has the lowest energy burden?

Howard County at 1.4% of income.

How does Maryland compare with the whole country?

The median Maryland county has a burden of 2.3% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 23 Maryland counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.

Where do storms cause the most trouble in Maryland?

Kent County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 664 between 2015 and 2025.

Which Maryland county has the highest FEMA risk score?

Baltimore County: 94.0, rated relatively moderate by FEMA (Dec 2025).

Where are the oldest homes in Maryland?

Allegany County: 79% of homes were built before 1980; the median Maryland county is at 45% (Census ACS 2023).

Which Maryland county relies most on electric heat?

Calvert County: 72% of homes heat with electricity, against 52% in the median county.

Which Maryland county has the most flood claims per home?

Somerset County: 15.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Maryland county has 1.9 (FEMA OpenFEMA).

Are storm reports the same as power outages in Maryland?

No: in Maryland they are weather reports, not outage counts.

Where can Maryland households get help with bills?

See the Maryland help page. Highest burden: Somerset County.

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3.9% of income goes to home energy in Somerset County, the highest of 23 Maryland counties