Socioeconomic Indicators

The percent of population identifying as Black was highest in three ZIP Codes (21902, 21913 and 21921). Perry Point (21902) has the highest percentage of the population identifying as Black (69.5 percent). Cecilton (21913) and Elkton (21921) had 15.4 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively. All other areas of Cecil County have under 10 percent population identifying as Black. The percent of the population identifying as Hispanic has been under five percent in most areas of Cecil County. Exceptions include Elk Mills with 16.7 percent identifying as Hispanic and Elkton with 6.1 percent.

Socioeconomic Indicators

People living in low-income households generally are less healthy than those living in more prosperous areas. Overall poverty rates in Cecil County were slightly above the Maryland average but below the U.S. average. However, poverty rates for Black and for Hispanic (or Latino) county residents have been substantially higher than rates for White residents.

Low-income census tracts are most prevalent in Elkton, North East, and Port Deposit. Most of these census tracts are where more than one-half of households are “rent burdened, ” are categorized as “high need” by the Dignity Health Community Need IndexTM (CNI) and are in the top quartile nationally for “social vulnerability” according to the Centers for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index. The CNI is calculated for every ZIP Code in the United States. The median score for the U.S. is 3.0, and ZIP Codes are assigned to five categories ranging from “Lowest Need” (scores of 1.0 to 1.7) to “Highest Need” (scores ranging from 4.2 to 5.0). At 3.2 (weighted by the population of each ZIP Code), the weighted average CNI score for ZIP Code 21921, Elkton, is above the U.S. median. All other Cecil County ZIP Codes have a CNI score below the median.

Between 2016 and 2019, unemployment rates in Cecil County, Maryland, and the United States declined. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant increases in unemployment in 2020. In 2021, rates declined as the economy began to recover from the pandemic. Because many have employer-based health insurance coverage, continued economic recovery will be important to maintaining access to care. Cecil County’s crime rates have been lower than Maryland and U.S. rates in all categories except larceny and theft. In recent years, the county has had a lower percentage (4.2 percent) of the population without health insurance than Maryland (5.9 percent) and the United States (8.7 percent). Maryland expanded Medicaid eligibility effective January 1, 2014. According to an analysis published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 306,700 uninsured adults became eligible for Medicaid as a result of the expansion.