MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

ECONOMY

EMPLOYMENT

WORKFORCE

[photo, Mural, East Antietam St. (near North Potomac St.), Hagerstown, Maryland]
  • Civilian Workforce
  • Private & Public Sector Workforce
  • Total Workforce

    Maryland's workforce is among the best educated in the nation. In 2019, over 40.9% of its population aged 25 or older held a bachelor's degree or higher (3rd among all states), while 19.1% held a graduate or professional degree (2nd highest nationally).

    Mural, East Antietam St. (near North Potomac St.), Hagerstown, Maryland, June 2004. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    Most Marylanders work in the service-providing sector. Jobs cover a wide spectrum: from government positions to transportation-related professions, from wholesale trade to the finance and insurance industry. In 2020, 19.3% of the workforce was employed by federal, State and local governments, while 80.7% of workers were employed in the private sector.

    In 2020, Maryland was fourth in the nation for employment within the federal government, though it ranked first for federal jobs per capita, at 242 jobs per 10,000 residents. Also in 2020, Maryland had the second highest concentration of science, technology, engineering, & math (STEM) workers nationally, with 252,930 employees, or 10.2%. In 2019, the State also had the second highest concentration of employed doctoral scientists and engineers in the nation, ranked by total number per 100,000 employed. Moreover, in 2019, Maryland ranked second in the country for its high percentage of professional and technical workers (28.4%) in the workforce.

    TOTAL WORKFORCE - MARYLAND*
    (annual averages)

    2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
    Maryland 2,626,510 2,652,465 2,676,716 2,700,377 2,516,736


    2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
    Maryland 2,479,122 2,514,165 2,532,403 2,553,333 2,590,860


    2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
    Maryland 2,530,129 2,546,850 2,537,400 2,460,972 2,454,418


    2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
    Maryland 2,423,138 2,427,396 2,434,480 2,461,074 2,497,416


    1997 1998 1999 2000
    Maryland 2,231,499 2,284,671 2,347,638 2,404,095


    PRIVATE & PUBLIC SECTOR WORKFORCE - MARYLAND*

    2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
    Private Sector
    goods producing    		 270,891 (10.3%) 273,719 (10.3%) 278,931 (10.4%) 285,341 (10.6%) 277,605 (11%)
    natural resources & mining 6,431 6,434 6,444 7,189 7,127
    construction 160,868 162,154 163,285 165,865 161,959
    manufacturing 103,592 105,130 109,202 112,287 108,519
    Private Sector
    service providing    		 1,869,496 (71.2%) 1,891,680 (71.3%) 1,908,679 (71.3%) 1,924,929 (71.3%) 1,758,555 (70%)
    trade, transportation, utilities, & Warehousing 461,148 461,998 462,196 463,519 442,361
    information 37,695 37,625 36,234 35,309 33,033
    financial activities 139,872 140,275 138,188 135,150 129,594
    professional & business 442,057 443,960 452,271 462,824 443,642
    education & health 425,693 436,174 445,187 450,492 420,060
    leisure & hospitality 272,346 280,175 282,048 282,793 211,399
    other 90,685 91,472 92,553 94,842 78,464
    Public Sector 486,101 (18.5%) 487,036 (18.4%) 489,102 (18.3%) 490,076 (18.1%) 480,385 (19%)
    local government 242,364 242,559 244,297 245,253 233,698
    state government 97,937 97,770 99,857 99,127 97,336
    federal government 145,800 146,707 144,948 145,695 149,350


    2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
    Private Sector
    goods producing    		 262,754 (10.6%) 259,297 (10.3%) 259,046 (10.2%) 259,619 (10.2%) 264,416 (10.2%)
    natural resources & mining 6,553 6,926 6,338 6,435 6,473
    construction 143,152 143,303 146,207 149,622 154,047
    manufacturing 113,049 109,068 106,501 103,562 103,896
    Private Sector
    service providing    		 1,728,440 (69.7%) 1,766,655 (70.3%) 1,786,284 (70.5%) 1,807,725 (70.8%) 1,840,758 (71.1%)
    trade, transportation, utilities, & Warehousing 439,656 444,972 445,462 449,318 458,015
    information 41,713 39,804 39,491 38,801 38,449
    financial activities 136,487 137,521 138,212 137,176 138,896
    professional & business 397,247 409,726 417,061 424,517 430,326
    education & health 391,842 400,436 403,282 408,350 417,845
    leisure & hospitality 233,724 244,213 254,166 260,379 267,202
    other 87,771 89,983 88,610 89,184 90,025
    Public Sector 487,919 (19.7%) 488,202 (19.4%) 487,073 (19.2%) 485,989 (19.0%) 485,685 (18.7%)
    local government 241,039 241,058 242,082 243,513 242,724
    state government 102,367 100,790 100,379 99,484 98,833
    federal government 144,513 146,354 144,612 142,992 144,128


    2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
    Private Sector
    goods producing    		 331,590 (13.1%) 326,133 (12.8%) 313,044 (12.3%) 278,257 (11.3%) 264,380 (10.8%)
    natural resources & mining 6,836 6,556 6,528 6,428 6,520
    construction 188,420 187,878 178,076 153,122 142,774
    manufacturing 136,334 131,699 128,440 118,707 115,086
    Private Sector
    service providing    		 1,741,777 (68.8%) 1,758,249 (69%) 1,753,071 (69.1%) 1,705,302 (69.3%) 1,705,856 (69.5%)
    trade, transportation & utilities 470,271 472,365 461,249 436,545 434,661
    information 50,726 50,646 49,820 46,513 43,830
    financial activities 157,729 154,556 149,220 141,937 138,000
    professional & business 394,518 396,733 398,952 384,033 386,796
    education & health 349,136 359,053 367,671 378,238 385,013
    leisure & hospitality 229,694 234,278 236,048 230,220 229,797
    other 89,703 90,618 90,111 87,816 87,759
    Public Sector 455,492 (18.0%) 461,356 (18.1%) 470,409 (18.5%) 476,918 (19.4%) 484,108 (19.7%)
    local government 232,795 237,879 243,576 244,866 241,869
    state government 97,519 98,634 99,683 100,190 102,312
    federal government 125,178 124,843 127,150 131,862 139,927


    2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
    Private Sector
    goods producing    		 339,518 (14.0%) 328,847 (13.5%) 321,733 (13.2%) 325,826 (13.2%) 330,435 (13.2%)
    natural resources & mining 6,278 6,247 6,440 6,687 6,891
    construction 164,880 165,725 167,495 175,967 182,878
    manufacturing 168,360 156,875 147,798 143,172 140,666
    Private Sector
    manufacturing    		 1,634,258 (67.4%) 1,644,350 (67.7%) 1,660,125 (68.1%) 1,686,668 (68.5%) 1,716,583 (68.7%)
    trade, transportation & utilities 466,494 461,501 458,526 463,227 466,162
    information 58,380 53,402 50,365 50,121 50,368
    financial activities 148,821 151,187 156,231 156,352 158,234
    professional & business 358,310 357,504 360,676 370,638 383,250
    education & health 307,161 318,044 326,564 333,435 340,182
    leisure & hospitality 208,691 215,106 218,993 224,371 229,246
    other 86,401 87,606 88,770 88,524 89,141
    Public Sector 442,648 (18.2%) 450,215 (18.5%) 450,458 (18.5%) 446,342 (18.1%) 448,627 (17.9%)
    local government 218,036 223,486 225,125 223,492 226,183
    state government 98,134 98,415 97,069 95,928 96,707
    federal government 126,782 128,314 128,264 126,922 125,737


    1997 1998 1999 2000
    Private Sector
    manufacturing    		 176,722 (7.9%) 178,051 (7.8%) 176,862 (7.5%) 180,101 (7.4%)
    Private Sector
    nonmanufacturing    		 1,645,289 (73.7%) 1,687,246 (73.8%) 1,744,916 (74.3%) 1,792,860 (74.6%)
    services 710,287 737,058 766,113 793,234
    trade (wholesale) 110,300 110,795 112,958 114,255
    trade (retail) 426,555 430,447 435,939 441,981
    contract construction 137,820 140,815 149,808 156,501
    finance, insurance, real estate 131,161 134,394 139,642 138,203
    transportation, communications,
    public utilities    		 103,126 103,892 108,446 111,441
    other 26,070 29,745 32,010 37,245
    Public Sector 409,488 (18.4%) 419,274 (18.4%) 425,860 (18.1%) 431,134 (17.9%)
    local government 195,356 203,116 207,284 210,707
    state government 89,662 89,483 91,634 93,713
    federal government 125,470 126,675 126,942 126,714

    * Resident & nonresident wage-earners working in Maryland.


    CIVILIAN WORKFORCE - MARYLAND
    (annual averages)

    2021
    Employed* 2,992,228
    Unemployed** 183,322 (5.8%)
    TOTAL 3,175,550


    2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
    Employed* 3,020,827 3,114,580 3,142,323 3,212,155 3,012,106
    Unemployed** 135,091 (4.3%) 129,316 (4.0%) 118,745 (3.6%) 114,342 (3.4%) 215,421 (6.7%)
    TOTAL 3,155,918 3,243,896 3,261,068 3,326,497 3,227,527


    2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
    Employed* 2,872,084 2,902,307 2,923,498 2,941,562 2,983,083
    Unemployed** 224,477 (7.2%) 217,340 (7.0%) 205,854 (6.6%) 181,486 (5.8%) 156,905 (5.0%)
    TOTAL 3,096,561 3,119,647 3,129,352 3,123,048 3,139,988


    2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
    Employed* 2,892,620 2,873,512 2,867,178 2,820,245 2,838,492
    Unemployed** 116,523 (3.9%) 106,841 (3.6%) 130,531 (4.4%) 212,455 (7.0%) 235,334 (7.7%)
    TOTAL 3,009,143 2,980,353 2,997,709 3,032,700 3,073,826


    2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
    Employed* 2,712,268 2,732,057 2,749,111 2,764,110 2,813,781
    Unemployed** 114,779 (4.1%) 128,139 (4.5%) 128,858 (4.5%) 124,047 (4.3%) 121,283 (4.1%)
    TOTAL 2,827,047 2,860,196 2,877,969 2,888,157 2,935,064


    1997 1998 1999 2000
    Employed* 2,646,200 2,661,192 2,687,843 2,711,382
    Unemployed** 132,002 (4.8%) 118,817 (4.3%) 100,027 (3.6%) 100,275 (3.6%)
    TOTAL 2,778,202 2,780,009 2,787,870 2,811,657

    * Resident wage-earners working either in Maryland or out of state.
    ** Unemployed Maryland residents actively seeking work.

    Source: Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning, Department of Labor, Licensing, & Regulation

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