Baltimore County's dynamic economy is driven by national leaders and regional businesses that span every major industry sector. The following nine key industries drive 50 percent of the County’s employment and will account for 75 percent of the County’s job growth through 2024.
- Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TDL)
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Healthcare
- Government
- Financial Services
- Professional and Business Services
- Information Technology (IT)
Offshore wind will be one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, and Baltimore County is poised to be an east coast hub. Learn more about local offshore wind engagement, resources, and how to get involved.
The County is a premier location for successful and growing headquarters, who get first dibs on the brilliant researchers, engineers and creative thinkers graduating every year.
Baltimore County is home to incubators, accelerators, and research tech centers that support business growth and provide workforce training opportunities. Our universities are proud to be involved in our community and produce top graduates for our local workforce.
Towson University
The oldest four-year public college in Maryland, Towson University hosts the largest business school in the state. Towson concentrates on the fine arts, health-related fields, teacher education, liberal arts and sciences, business and communications. Organized into eight colleges, Towson offers bachelor’s degrees in 59 majors, 32 master’s degrees and three doctoral programs.
The StarTUp at the Armory
The best-in-class entrepreneurship and innovation hub received the highest honor for university-based economic development initiatives in North America. The StarTUp at the Armory is a state-of-the art facility includes free co-working space, meeting rooms where entrepreneurs and executives connect.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
UMBC is a Tier One research university, with $89 million in annual research dollars, maintains a strong undergraduate curriculum with 33 programs anchored in the liberal arts and sciences, and opportunities for involvement in faculty research. UMBC offers 30 master's and 22 doctoral programs focused in the sciences, engineering and public policy.
bwtech@UMBC
A 71-acre business incubator adjacent to University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) that brings research, entrepreneurship, business leads, prospective clients and economic development in the Maryland region to one singular place—a place full of like-minded businesses on the forefront of innovation. The bwtech@UMBC community is a center of innovation for businesses in all different stages of development. The university's six research centers attract over $89 million in annual funding, including the UMBC Center for Advanced Studies Photonics Research and UMBC's Bioinformatics Research Center.
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)
A public two-year college, CCBC is the largest provider of undergraduate education and workforce training in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. CCBC offers programs in more than 60 career and transfer programs in business, law, the environment, education, technology, the arts and sciences, and health and medicine.
Goucher College
Goucher College is a liberal arts college in Baltimore County enrolling over 2,500 students. All 18 bachelors and five interdisciplinary programs integrate coursework with real-world experience through internships.
Stevenson University
A fully accredited four-year private college combining arts and sciences with cutting-edge technologies. Stevenson University offers master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees in a variety of fields such as computer information systems, business, accounting, education, science, and nursing.
The Baltimore Metropolitan area is also home to some of the nation's top schools, including:
Baltimore County’s transportation network is one of our greatest competitive advantages. It features an interconnected and multimodal system of transportation that makes sense for any business.
Highways
Baltimore County is a hub of connecting north-south and east-west highways providing excellent and efficient access to any area. All industrially-zoned land in the County lies less than five miles (eight kilometers) from an interstate highway. Well-maintained state and County roads, covering more than 2,750 miles (4,300 kilometers), serve areas which are not reached by the extensive expressway system. More than 2,224 miles (3,759 kilometers) of these roads are maintained by the County.
Mass Transit
The Maryland Transit Administration provides a number of local and regional public transportation options throughout Baltimore County, including the light rail system, the local bus service, and the MARC train service.
Rail
Freight carriage through:
- CSX Transportation
- Norfolk Southern Railway
- Patapsco and Back Rivers Railroad
Deep Water
Port of Baltimore
Located 150 miles inland, the Port of Baltimore is the closest East Coast port to the Midwest and is accessible to several major interstate highways located within minutes of its terminals. By truck, cargo leaving the port is within an overnight drive to two-thirds of America's population.
Tradepoint Atlantic
Tradepoint Atlantic at Sparrows Point is positioned to be North America’s premier industrial gateway driving the flow of commerce between the U.S. and global markets through access to land, rail and sea. The 5.3 square-mile site features more than 3,300 acres zoned for industrial use, deep water access near the Port of Baltimore and an interconnected transportation network, including direct connection to two Class One railroads and interstate highways.
Air
Baltimore County is a short drive from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). The County is home to Martin State Airport in Middle River, one of the largest general aviation facilities in the U.S., with full-service transient capability.
Statistics
Data shown are based on currently available County, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), State and national datasets. If you have any questions related to the data presented, we encourage you to email datasupport@baltimorecountymd.gov.
2020
View the population statistics for 2020 below.
| Baltimore County | Baltimore Metro | State |
|---|---|---|
847,000 | 2,881,500 | 6,224,550 |
2019
Baltimore County is Maryland’s second-largest jurisdiction in terms of jobs and is home to more than 21,000 employer establishments. The County's economic diversity is reflected in the following table, which presents 2019 self-reported employment numbers for Baltimore County's largest manufacturing, research and development, federal government, healthcare, utilities, education and financial services firms.
| Company | Employees | Industry |
|---|---|---|
Social Security Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) | 15,415 | Federal government |
T. Rowe Price | 3,764 | Financial services |
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) | 4,184
| Community College |
Greater Baltimore Medical Center | 3,742 | Hospital |
MedStar Franklin Square Hospital | 3,900 | Hospital |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County | 2,217 | University |
Towson University | 3,433
| University |
McCormick and Company, Inc. | 2,455 | Manufacturing |
University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center | 2,611 | Hospital |
BD Life Sciences, Diagnostic Systems | 1,900 | Microbiology, medical and diagnostic equipment |
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | 2,220 | Healthcare insurance provider |
Sheppard Pratt Health Systems | 1,918 | Hospital |
LifeBridge Health/Northwest Hospital Center | 1,695 | Hospital |
Stanley Black and Decker Global Tools and Storage Headquarters | 1,600 | Power tools, small appliances |
Lockheed Martin | 1,519 | Aerospace, defense and information technology |
Textron (formerly AAI) | 1,500 | Defense |
United Parcel Service (UPS) | 1,140 | Freight and logistics |
Stevenson University | 1,094 | University |
Verizon—Maryland | 978 | Telecommunications (finance and billing) |
Coty (formerly Procter and Gamble Beauty) | 940 | Cosmetic manufacturing |
Bank of America | 841 | Credit card center and financial services |
Quest Diagnostics | 768 | Medical laboratories |
Goucher College | 774 | University |
Stella Maris | 700 | Healthcare |
Whiting Turner | 900 | General building contractor |
Tessco Technologies | 668 | Communications equipment |
Element Fleet Management (formerly PHH) | 600 | Corporate vehicle-fleet management |
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) | 600 | Medical software |
KCI Technologies | 400 | Engineering |
Pharmaceutics International, Inc. | 350 | Pharmaceutical formulation |
MarquipWard United | 350 | High-speed manufacturing equipment |
U.S. Filter—Pall Corporation | 285 | Filtration devices |
General Motors Baltimore Operations | 274 | Vehicle and hybrid transmissions |
| Area | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|
Baltimore County | 3.0 (not seasonally adjusted) |
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, | 2.9 |
| Civilian Labor Force | Baltimore County | Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) |
|---|---|---|
Total Civilian Labor Force | 466,811 | 1,547,061 |
Employment | 452,655 | 1,501,503 |
Unemployment | 14,156 | 45,4558 |
Unemployment Rate | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| Education Level | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 Change |
|---|---|---|
Total | 385,650 | 12,902 (3.5 percent) |
Less than high school | 101,175 | 3,817 (3.9 percent) |
High school diploma or equivalent | 141,921 | 1,343 (1 percent) |
Postsecondary non-degree award | 22,435 | 1,053 (4.9 percent) |
Some college, no degree | 5,047 | 147 (3 percent) |
Associate's degree | 16,977 | 695 (4.3 percent) |
Bachelor's degree | 78,383 | 4,701 (6.4 percent) |
Master's degree | 7,111 | 409 (6.1 percent) |
Doctoral or professional degree | 12,167 | 723 (6.3 percent) |
Unallocated | 435 | 13 (3.1 percent) |
2018
The table below displays the annual average employment by industry as compared to total Baltimore County employment for 2018.
| Baltimore County | Totals |
|---|---|
Employment | 390,670 |
Targeted Industries | 329,872 |
Percentage of Total County Employment | 84 |
| Industry | Employment |
|---|---|
TDL—Trade, Transportation and Utilities | 66,042 |
| Professional and Business Services | 60,501 |
| Government—Federal, State and Local | 55,256 |
| Healthcare (Health Services) | 49,360 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 35,058 |
| Financial Services | 29,938 |
Construction | 24,254 |
| Education | 24,080 |
Manufacturing | 15,418 |
Information Technology | 5,023 |
| Natural Resources and Mining | 617 |