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Cliff-Zone Families
114,020
Total Wage Suppression
$83.0M
State Avg Cliff Zone
11.6%
The benefits cliff — sometimes called the welfare cliff or cliff effect — occurs when families lose public benefits faster than they can replace them through increased earnings. In Maryland, an estimated 114,020 families across 24 counties earn between 100–200% of the Federal Poverty Level, where benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, and housing assistance phase out. The CLIFF Index measures this exposure at the county level, including peak marginal effective tax rates, wage suppression estimates, and advancement thresholds. Click any county below for the full diagnostic report.
| CountyCounty↕ | PopulationPopulation↕ | Cliff Zone %Cliff Zone %↕ | Families AffectedFamilies↓ | Wage SuppressionWage Gap↕ | Peak METRPeak METR↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County | 959,754 | 12.2% | 18,978 | $13.8M | 478% |
| Baltimore County | 850,796 | 13.4% | 18,279 | $13.3M | 388% |
| Montgomery County | 1,065,949 | 10.0% | 17,611 | $12.8M | 478% |
| Baltimore city | 573,243 | 17.9% | 14,360 | $10.5M | 388% |
| Anne Arundel County | 598,166 | 8.0% | 8,078 | $5.9M | 388% |
| Harford County | 263,757 | 9.3% | 4,307 | $3.1M | 388% |
| Frederick County | 287,048 | 8.4% | 4,226 | $3.1M | 478% |
| Howard County | 336,328 | 6.8% | 3,907 | $2.8M | 388% |
| Washington County | 155,709 | 15.8% | 3,584 | $2.6M | 263% |
| Wicomico County | 104,914 | 17.2% | 2,586 | $1.9M | 290% |
| Charles County | 170,527 | 8.9% | 2,458 | $1.8M | 478% |
| Cecil County | 104,960 | 13.7% | 2,275 | $1.7M | 378% |
| Carroll County | 175,321 | 7.6% | 2,164 | $1.6M | 388% |
| St. Mary's County | 115,126 | 10.3% | 2,063 | $1.5M | 383% |
| Allegany County | 67,452 | 21.0% | 1,707 | $1.2M | 198% |
| Calvert County | 94,313 | 7.6% | 1,187 | $864K | 441% |
| Caroline County | 33,669 | 22.1% | 1,146 | $834K | 275% |
| Worcester County | 53,700 | 13.7% | 1,082 | $788K | 243% |
| Dorchester County | 32,754 | 18.1% | 887 | $646K | 233% |
| Garrett County | 28,615 | 17.9% | 833 | $606K | 198% |
| Talbot County | 37,917 | 14.3% | 685 | $499K | 297% |
| Queen Anne's County | 51,825 | 7.9% | 634 | $462K | 388% |
| Kent County | 19,346 | 19.1% | 593 | $432K | 258% |
| Somerset County | 24,822 | 16.4% | 390 | $284K | 240% |
24 of 24 counties shown. Click any county for full diagnostic.