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Lauren A. HallDespite its small size, Maryland is a diverse state. Its 24jurisdictions sometimes have very different populations, and,consequently, may have very different needs. While statewidedata can be extraordinarily helpful to state-level programmanagers and policymakers, it may not reflect the customers thatlocal departments of social services see in their offices.To assist local departments in better serving their TemporaryCash Assistance (TCA) customers, we examined adult recipientsin 18 of the 24 jurisdictions over the last few years (SFY 20162018). This brief profiles Anne Arundel County, one of theremaining jurisdictions in this installment. Anne Arundel County islocated in central Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore-ColumbiaTowson Metropolitan Statistical Area, meaning that there is ahigh degree of economic integration among the counties1 in thisarea (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018a). Six percent of families withchildren under the age of 18 in Anne Arundel County were livingbelow the poverty line between 2014 and 2018, less than thestatewide percentage of 9.8% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019b). Inaddition to lower poverty, the county had a median annual familyincome of 112,549, which was higher than the median familyincome for Maryland ( 99,403). (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019b).Anne Arundel County, one of Maryland’s most populatedcounties (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018b), makes up 7% of the TCAcaseload (Gross & Passarella, 2020). As one of the mostpopulated counties, it is valuable to note the ways in which adultrecipients in this county differ from the state as a whole. Table 1provides an overview of the demographic characteristics of adultrecipients. Anne Arundel County TCA recipients are typicallyAfrican American (54.6%) or Caucasian (39.2%) women (91.4%)in their early 30s who never married (75.9%). Compared toMaryland as a whole, Anne Arundel County recipients are morelikely to be Caucasian and less likely to be African American.1KEY FINDINGS Anne Arundel County adultrecipients are typicallyAfrican American orCaucasian women in their30s who never married. Approximately 80% finishedhigh school. One in four have a disabilitythat is expected to last over12 months. Six in 10 worked in the yearbefore they began receivingTCA, but less than 45% ofthose employed worked allfour quarters in that year. Earnings among employedadult recipients in that yearwere low, with a median ofaround 7,200. More than 40% of AnneArundel County adultrecipients who worked in theyear before they receivedTCA were employed in fourindustries: restaurants,administrative and supportservices, general retail, andnursing homes.This statistical area includes Baltimore City and the counties of Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and QueenAnne's counties.

Table 1. DemographicsGender% FemaleAgeAverageRace & Ethnicity% Caucasian % African American % Hispanic% Other Marital Status% Married% Never Marriededucational attainment among AnneArundel County adult recipients alongsideadult recipients statewide and in otherjurisdictions. The lines represent the rangeof values across all 24 jurisdictions, with thebars at the top and bottom indicating thestatewide high—the highest value across alljurisdictions—and the statewide low—thelowest value across all jurisdictions. Thesquare indicates the statewide average, andthe colored diamond denotes Anne % Divorced, Separated,or WidowedComparing Anne Arundel County with therest of the state shows that adult recipientsin Anne Arundel County have somewhathigher levels of educational attainment thantheir counterparts elsewhere. One fifth(20.2%) of Anne Arundel County adultrecipients did not yet finish high school orreceive a GED, which is lower than thestatewide average of 26% and much lowerthan the statewide high of 34%.16.1%Note: non-Hispanic. Valid percentages reported.For adult recipients who are required towork or to participate in work-relatedactivities, educational attainment is aparticularly important characteristic, as itcan affect the job opportunities that areavailable to them. Figure 1 presentsFigure 1. Educational %18.3%20.2%11.6%10%0%13.2%Did not finish high schoolHigh1.2%Finished high schoolAverage (State)LowAdditional education after highschoolAnne ArundelNote: High refers to the jurisdiction with the highest percentage. Low refers to the jurisdiction with lowest percentage.General Education Development Program (GED) certificates are included in high school completion rates. Validpercentages reported.2

In addition, the percentage of adultrecipients in Anne Arundel County whofinished high school (and did not receiveadditional education) was higher than thestate average (68.1% vs. 63.7%). Additionaleducation beyond high school for AnneArundel county recipients (11.6%) was onpar with the state average (10.2%) and wasroughly 10 percentage points higher thanthe statewide low. This suggests that somerecipients in Anne Arundel County haveeducation or training beyond high schoolthat could lead to well-paid jobs.likely to return to TCA while adults witheducation beyond a high school diploma aremore likely to attain median annual earningsabove the poverty level (McColl &Passarella, 2019). In addition, a recentreport showed that single mothers inMaryland are less likely to live in povertyand earn substantially more after graduatingwith an associate degree (Center on Equityin Higher Education). Taken together, thesefindings suggest that additional education—either in the form of a high school diplomaor education beyond high school—couldimprove the chances of Anne ArundelCounty recipients achieving self-sufficiency.While Anne Arundel County adult recipientsgenerally have higher educationalattainment than recipients statewide,providing more opportunities for increasingeducational attainment could provebeneficial. Our research shows thateconomic stability and good jobs are morelikely when adults have more education(Nicoli, Passarella, & Born, 2013; James &Nicoli, 2016). More specifically, thosewithout a high school diploma are moreThe Maryland Department of HumanServices is already pursuing potentialstrategies for increasing educationalattainment and improving recipients’ jobskills by partnering with the MarylandDepartment of Labor’s Division of WorkforceDevelopment and Adult Learning. Careertraining and job seeker services can helpTCA recipients with any number of goals,Data and Study PopulationData comes from the Client Automated Resource and Eligibility System (CARES) and the Maryland AutomatedBenefits System (MABS), which are the administrative data systems for Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) andUnemployment Insurance (UI), respectively. CARES provides individual- and case-level data on demographics andprogram participation for families receiving TCA. Additional data on adult recipients’ disabilities comes from WORKS,which documents participation in work and work-related activities. The MABS system includes data from all employerscovered by the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) law and the Unemployment Compensation for FederalEmployees (UCFE) program. Together, these account for approximately 91% of all Maryland civilian employment.There are a variety of limitations to MABS data. MABS only reports data on a quarterly basis, which means that it isnot possible to calculate weekly or monthly employment and earnings. Another limitation is that MABS does notcontain data on certain types of employment, such as self-employment, independent contractors, and informalemployment; consequently, earnings from under-the-table jobs are not included. Finally, MABS has no information onemployment outside Maryland. Approximately nine percent of Anne Arundel County residents work out of state, whichis higher than the national average (3.7%) but far below the state average (16.8%) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019a). As aresult, we may be understating employment and some earnings. The study population in this report is the uniquenumber of adults who received at least one month of TCA in SFY 2019 (July 2018 to June 2019). Statewide, 18,510adults received TCA in SFY 2019; in Anne Arundel County 1,121 adults received TCA.3

from vocational training or GED attainmentto improving interview skills. The federalgovernment encourages this type ofpartnership through the WorkforceInnovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).Additionally, Anne Arundel CommunityCollege offers free childcare to low-incomestudents through the U.S. Department ofEducation’s Child Care Access MeansParents in School Program (U.S.Department of Education, 2019). This grantgives low-income parents a chance toobtain job training or earn a degree withoutthe costly burden of childcare.one or more applications (McColl & Nicoli,2018).Partnerships with other entities withinMaryland’s workforce development systemmay also benefit adult TCA recipients withdisabilities. Figure 2 shows the percentageof adult recipients who have disabilities thatare expected to persist for longer than 12months. The figure includes the percentagefor Anne Arundel County adult recipients,the statewide average, and the statewidehigh and low values across all jurisdictions.About one quarter (23.0%) of adultrecipients in Anne Arundel County have along-term disability, slightly less than thestatewide average, but more than thestatewide low of 16%. There are only sixjurisdictions with a lower percentage thanAnne Arundel County, suggesting that thecounty is less likely to have recipients withthis barrier than their counterparts acrossthe state.50%For those with long-term disabilities whowant to work, the Division of RehabilitationServices (DORS), located within theMaryland State Department of Education,may be an excellent resource. Like TCA,DORS is part of Maryland’s workforcedevelopment system, so this is another waythat closer collaboration with workforcepartners may benefit TCA customers.Figure 2. Percent with DisabilitiesLasting 12 Months44.2%40%30%23.0%20%10%16.1%0%HighLow1Average (State)Anne ArundelNote: High refers to the jurisdiction with the highestpercentage. Low refers to the jurisdiction with lowestpercentage. Valid percentages reported.As TCA continues collaboration with itsworkforce development partners,understanding adult recipients’ workhistories becomes even more important.The past employment experiences of adultrecipients can shape their futureemployment and earnings, or highlightopportunities for professional training orother employment services. Figure 3displays the percentage of adult recipientswho worked in the year before they beganreceiving TCA. Three in five (61.4%) AnneArundel County adult recipients wereemployed in that year, a few percentagepoints higher than the state average of 58%.All adult recipients with disabilities areeligible to receive assistance withapplications for federal disability programs,like Supplemental Security Income (SSI),and caseworkers can offer assistance withapplications for disability programs througha statewide contract with a vendor. Themajority of TCA recipients, though, do notsuccessfully receive SSI, despite submitting4