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Rankings and Statistics

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Get to know Maryland better with the easy-to-use Data Explorer. Compare information on education, the economy, taxes and quality of life on different locations within Maryland or with other states and metro areas. ​​

Maryland Data Explorer

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Rankings

Choose from eight categories of rankings including Workforce, R&D, Income and Wealth, Quality of Life, and Education to find out how Maryland stacks up against the competition.
  • Education

      • Maryland ranks fifth nationally in the percentage of high school seniors who scored at the mastery level on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with 31.5% earning a score of 3 or higher in 2018. Maryland also ranks fifth among the states in the percentage of graduates taking AP tests during high school at 46.9%, up from 39.5% in 2009.  1
      • Maryland is fourth in the nation with 17 higher education institutions designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education and research.  2
      • According to Quality Counts, Education Week’s annual assessment of key indicators of student success, Maryland’s K-12 public school system ranks fourth overall based on three graded categories that include chance for success, K-12 achievement and school finance. 3
      • According to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges survey, Johns Hopkins University holds the following rankings:  4
        • ninth overall among top national universities that offer doctoral degrees, and 16th best value
        • 11th for the quality of undergraduate research/creative projects
        • second among top research medical schools, with top three rankings in the following specialties:  anesthesiology, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, and surgery
        • first in graduate nursing, with top five rankings in adult acute care and primary care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, pediatric primary care nurse practitioner, psychiatric nurse practitioner, nursing administration and doctor of nursing practice
        • 13th in undergraduate engineering among schools that offer a doctorate including first in biomedical and 16th in environmental engineering
        • 17th in graduate engineering, including first in biomedical, 14th in mechanical, 19th in materials engineering, and 20th in chemical engineering
        • first in graduate public health, fourth in health policy and management, sixth in International Global Policy and Administration, and ninth in health care management
        • sixth in graduate biology, with top three rankings in cell biology and neuroscience
        • third in graduate statistics
        • second in online graduate computer information technology programs; third in online graduate nursing; and 13th in online graduate engineering programs, including in the top 5 for online engineering management, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering
        • 15th in graduate english
        • 11th in graduate history
        • 17th in graduate physics
        • 12th in undergraduate Business Analytics
        • 12th in most innovative schools
        • Tied for 20th in Best Miedcal Schools: Primary Care
        • 15th in undergraduate education
      • ​According to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges survey, the University of Maryland, College Park holds the following rankings:  5 
        • 19th in Top Public Schools
        • Tied for 14th for stellar undergraduate learning communities
        • eighth in undergraduate management information systems, 13th in management, tied for 15th in supply chain management/logistics, 20th in marketing; and tenth in graduate information systems 
        • 16th in graduate computer science, including 16th in artificial intelligence, systems, and theory, and 17th in programming language
        • top ten in graduate physics programs including atomic/molecular/optical physics, and quantum physics
        • 10th in undergraduate and 12th in graduate aerospace engineering; 14th in both graduate electrical and computer engineering; 17th in graduate mechanical engineering; and 20th overall in best engineering schools
        • first in graduate criminology
        • fourth in graduate homeland/national security and emergency management
        • top ten in graduate education programs including student counseling/personnel services, educational psychology, and Higher Education Administration
        • top ten in graduate library and information science including archives and preservation, information systems, digital librarianship, school library media and services for children and youth​
        • 10th best online MBA program including sixth best for veterans, and 18th best online graduate engineering programs, including 14th best for veterans
        • second in graduate African-American history
        • tenth in graduate audiology
        • 13th in graduate applied mathematics
        • 16th in graduate speech language pathology
        • 12th in graduate sociology of population
      • ​Other Maryland colleges/universities that rank highly in the U.S. News and World Report survey include: 6 
        • The University of Maryland, Baltimore County ranks ninth most innovative among national universities and 11th best for undergraduate teaching
        • The University of Maryland, Baltimore ranks among the top ten U.S. law schools in clinical training, health care law and part-time law
        • The University of Maryland, Baltimore, ranks 22th nationally in graduate nursing, with top ten rankings in clinical nurse leader, adult acute care nurse practitioner, nursing administration, nursing anasthesia, nursing informatics, and16th in doctorate of nursing practice
        • The University of Maryland, Baltimore, ranks 14th in graduate pharmacy
        • St. Mary’s College of Maryland ranks fifth among top public liberal arts colleges in the nation
        • Loyola University Maryland ranks fourth among top northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees, and fourth best for undergraduate teaching 
        • Goucher College ranks eighth for undergraduate study abroad programs
        • St. John's College ranks ninth for undergraduate teaching among national liberal arts colleges tied for 18th in most innovative schools
        • Towson University ranks 12th among public northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees 
        • Salisbury University ranks 16th among top public northern universities
        • McDaniel College ranks first for best value among northern universities
        • Hood College ranks 17th in best values among northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees 
        • Maryland Institute College of Art ranks eighth overall for its master of fine arts program, with top ten rankings in graphic design, painting/drawing and sculpture 
        • Morgan State University ranks 13th and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore ranks 18th among historically black colleges
        • The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda ranks fourth in nursing anesthesia
        • The United States Naval Academy ranks first in the nation among top public liberal arts colleges
        • The United States Naval Academy ranks fifth in undergraduate engineering among schools without PhD programs, including third in aerospace, 10th in electrical and ninth in mechanical engineering
      • According to a U.S. News and World Report ranking of U.S. public high schools, Maryland places fourth based on the percentage of schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, with 40.0%. Top-ranked schools are those whose students demonstrate outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading assessments, pass and participate in a college level exams, and graduate in high proportions.  7
      • According to the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, the University of Maryland, College Park ranks seventh among undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for 2020. 8

      • Johns Hopkins University ranks tenth in U.S. News and World Report's list of Best Global Universities, which rates institutions on their academic research performance and global and regional reputations. Further, Hopkins ranks in the top ten in ten subject specialties.  9
      • According to Times Higher Education, Johns Hopkins University is 12th worldwide and 11th in the U.S. in a ranking of research intensive universities based on teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Further, the university ranks seventh worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health fields, seventh for life sciences.  10
      • The University of Maryland, College Park ranks 18th among U.S. public universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In addition, UMCP ranks in the top 15 worldwide in the following subjects: atmospheric science, environmental engineering, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, economics, business administration, management, and library and information sciences. 11 
      • Johns Hopkins University ranks 15th worldwide and 12th in the U.S. among research universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Hopkins ranks second in the world in the fields of public health, third in medical technology, fifth in clinical medicine, sixth in nursing, ninth in human biological sciences, tenth in biological science, 14th in biotechnology, and 12th in biomedical engineering and statistics.  12 
      • The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), and Johns Hopkins University rank ​among the top 30 doctorate-granting institutions in the nation based on the number of recipients for 2018. Johns Hopkins ranks third in life sciences doctorates, while UMCP ranks among the top 20 for math and computer sciences; psychology and social sciences; and engineering. Based on a 5-year total (2014-2018), Johns Hopkins and UMCP rank among the top 20 for Asian doctorate recipients, while UMCP and Morgan State University are in the top 20 for African American recipients. 13

      • In WalletHub's ranking of the most educated states in the U.S., Maryland ranks second overall based on a combination of educational attainment, school quality, and achievement gaps. 14

      • Johns Hopkins University ranks 14th among the best universities in the world according to CEOWorld magazine, and also ranks in the top 10 globally for medicine and health science, as well as life science degrees. John Hopkins also ranks 4th among all univerisities for nursing degrees.15

       
      Resources 

       
      1Maryland State Department of Education press release, February 7, 2020.
      2 National Security Agency, Information Assurance Directorate as of December 18, 2019.
      3 Education Week, Quality Counts 2019, September 4, 2019.
      4 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2021 Editions.  
      5 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2021 Editions.  
      6 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2021 Editions.
      7 U.S. News and World Report, Best High Schools 2019, April 2020. 
      8 The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, 2020 Top Schools for Entrepreneurs.
      9 U.S. News and World Report, Best Global Universities 2021.
      10 Times Higher Education, World University Rankings 2021 and subject rankings 2020.
      11 Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020​.
      12 Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020.
      13 National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, data for 2018. 
      14 WalletHub, 2019's Most & Least Educated States in America, January 21, 2019.
      15 CEOWorld magazine, "Revealed: Best Universities in the World for 2019" December 2018; "Worlds Best Universities and Colleges for a Nursing Degree", February 12, 2020.
      ​

  • Entrepreneurship

      • ​​Maryland holds the following rankings for women and minority business ownership: 1 
        • Seventh in the percentage of minority-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (23.9%)
        • Fifth in the percentage of women-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (22.4%) 
        • Second in the percentage of African American-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (6.6%) 
        • Fifth in the percentage of Asian-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (13.3%)
        • 12th in the percentage of Hispanic-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (3.8%)
      • ​Maryland ranks third per capita and fourth overall in Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) awards for 2018.  Small businesses in Maryland received $132.6 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the highly competitive SBIR Program (equating to $21.95 per capita). 2   
      • With 149 of the nation's fastest growing private sector firms, Maryland ranks third among the states for Inc. 5000 companies as a percentage of total companies. 3 ​​​
      • Baltimore places fifth in a ranking of the "Top 10 Rising Cities for Startups" based on costs, education levels, college presence, entrepreneurship rates, working-age population growth and venture capital investment. 4

      • Maryland ranks ninth among the states in the value of venture capital deals for 2018, and 10th in the number of deals. A total of 81 venture capital deals in Maryland in 2018 resulted in over $1.1 billion in investment. 5

      Resources 

      1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      2 U.S. Small Business Administration, data for 2018​​, and U.S. Census Bureau. 
      3 Inc.com Inc. 5000, August 2020, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
      4 Forbes.com, The Top 10 Rising Cities for Startups, October 1, 2018.
      5 PwC / CB Insights MoneyTree Report, Q4 2018.

       

  • Government and Business Support

      • ​Maryland is one of only 13 states with a “triple triple” general obligation bond rating -- AAA rating from the three major bond rating agencies -- and the state has the longest running Triple-A rating with a “stable” outlook from S&P Global, dating back to 1961.  1
      • ​Maryland ranks second per capita among the states and fourth in dollar value of federal government contracts, totaling $35.8 billion. For Department of Defense contracts, Maryland ranks third per capita among states and sixth in total dollar value with $15.4 billion.  2
      • According to a study on business taxes by Ernst & Young, Maryland businesses pay the second lowest share of state and local taxes, with business taxes accounting for 31.6% of total taxes collected in the state, compared with 44.0% for the national average. ​Further, Maryland ranks first for the lowest total state and local business taxes paid per dollar of net government spending that benefits businesses. 3
      • In the most recent Business Facilities Ranking Report, Maryland ranks fourth among the states for cybersecurity growth potential, fourth also for bioscience strength, and eighth for FTZ import activity, with Baltimore FTZ #74 ranking third among top zones for imports. Among metros, California-Lexington Park ranks first as a STEM job leader.  4
      • According to fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times, Baltimore ranks seventh among large cities for connectivity, which includes internet speed; mobile phone subscribers; airport access and flights; and number of ports and performance.  5
      • ​The Port of Baltimore ranks 13th for the total dollar value of foreign waterborne commerce and eighth for cargo tonnage among all ports in the nation.  6
      • Maryland ranks seventh in the 2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard compiled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The report ranks states on the adoption and implementation of energy efficient policies which reduce energy costs, spur job growth, and benefit the environment. Maryland is the most improved state in the 2019 report.  7
      • Two Maryland jurisdictions are ranked in the top ten for their population size class in the Center for Digital Government’s 2020 Digital Counties Survey. Prince George's ranks second and Baltimore County ranks sixth among counties with a population from one-half to one million. The survey examines government technology practices and initiatives to streamline delivery of government services, encourage collaboration, and enhance cybersecurity.  8

      • Maryland places third in the 2018 Grid Modernization Index, which ranks states on the degree to which they are moving toward a modernized electric grid. The index evaluates grid operations, state support and customer engagement. 9

      • Maryland ranks third in the Center for Digital Government’s 2020 State Government Experience Awards which honor states that offer a sophisticated digital user experience to their citizens.   10

      • Maryland places eighth among states with the best economies according to a study that ranks states based on GDP growth, job growth, unemployment rate, poverty rate, and bachelor degree attainment. 11

      • Baltimore ranks fifth among the 100 most populous U.S. cities according to the New American Economy's Cities Index, which evaluates cities based on immigrant integration as measured by local policies and socioeconomic outcomes. 12

      • In a ranking of the best U.S. cities for public transit, three Maryland communities score in the top 25 including Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Hyattsville. Further, Baltimore places eighth in a ranking of only the largest cities with a population of 300,000 or more. 13
      • UBI Global ranks Baltimore's Emerging Tech Centers in the World's Top Ten Public Business Incubators. The ranking is based on 21 indicators including: job creation, businesses graduated, investment attracted, and services offered.14
      • Forbes ranks the Baltimore Development Corporation in the Top 10 Community Organizations for Opportunity Zone Players. The ranking is based on Opportunity Zone Players developed by U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Georgetown University, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; which prioritizes community benefit and engagement, transparency and impact. 15
      • According to 24/7 Wall St., Maryland is the 9th best state for business based on real GDP growth, average earning per job, educational attainment, and venture capital deals per capita.16

      Resources

      1 Maryland State Treasurer’s office press release, July 29, 2019. 
      2 USASpending.gov and U.S. Census Bureau, data for FY 2019; ranking excludes Washington DC.
      3 Ernst & Young, Total State and Local Business Taxes, State-by-State Estimates for Fiscal Year 2019, prepared in conjunction with the Council on State Taxation and the State Tax Research Institute; assumes 50% of education spending benefits business.
      4 Business Facilities 15th Annual Rankings Report (2019).
      5 fDi Magazine, American Cities of the Future 2019/20.
      6 Maryland Port Administration, 2019 Foreign Commerce Statistical Report.
      7 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.
      8  Center for Digital Government, 2020 Digital Counties Survey.
      9 Gridwise Alliance, Grid Modernization Index, December 2018.
      10 Center for Digital Government, Government Experience Awards 2020.
      11 24/7 Wall St., The States with the Best and Worst Economies, July 3, 2019.
      12 New American Economy Cities Index, November 13, 2019.
      13 Redfin, Best U.S. Cities for Public Transit in 2019.
      14 UBI Global, World Rankings of Business Incubators and Accelerators 2019/2020.
      15 Forbes, Meet The Forbes OZ 20: The Top Players Investing for Lasting Impact, December 2019.
      16 24/7 Wall Street, “Best and Worst States for Business”, February 18, 2020. 

  • Income and Wealth

      • ​​Maryland has the highest median household income among states for 2019 at $86,738, which is 32% above the national median. 1   
      • Maryland ranks third among the states in the ratio of millionaire households to total households, with 8.85% of households having $1 million or more in investable or liquid assets in 2018. 2 
      • Maryland has the third lowest poverty rate for 2019, with 9.0% of the population living in poverty, compared with 12.3% for the U.S. as a whole. 3   
      • Maryland is home to three of the top 20 large counties in the nation for median household income. Howard County ranks 9th ($121,618), Montgomery 19th ($110,389) and Calvert 13th ($112,380) among 800+ counties with a population of 65,000 or greater. 4  
      • Maryland ranks eighth among the states in per capita personal income for 2020 Q2 ($69,444). 5 

      Resources 

      1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey; ranking excludes Washington D.C. 
      2 Phoenix Marketing International, Wealth and Affluent Monitor 2018; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      3 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey.   
      4 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey.   
      5 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2020 (Q2); ranking excludes Washington, DC.   

  • New Economy

      • ​​Maryland ranks fourth in the Milken Institute’s biennial State Technology and Science Index for 2020. ​According to study results, Maryland received top ten rankings in all of the five index components, including first in the technology and science workforce category, second in human capital investment and research and development inputs, and tenth in technology concentration and dynamism. The Index measures the technology and science assets of states, ranking them on their ability to foster and sustain a technology sector, which is crucial in determining a region's future economic success. 1
      • Maryland ranks fourth in the 2020 State New Economy Index, a measure of a state's economy as knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, information technology-driven and innovation-based. 2

      • The Maryland/Virginia/Washington DC "BioHealth Capital Region" places fourth in a ranking of the top ten U.S. biopharma clusters based on criteria including patents, NIH grant funding, venture capital, lab space and number of jobs. 3
      • ​​​Maryland ranks sixth among the states in the square footage of LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita for 2019. By using less energy, LEED buildings save money for businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for workers and the larger community.4
      • Maryland places fourth in WalletHub's State Innovation Index based on 24 indicators including share of STEM professionals, R&D spending per capita, tech company density, and other human capital and innovation environment factors. 5

      • Maryland ranks sixh in the 2020 Bloomberg U.S. State Innovation Index which scores states based on six metrics, in which Maryland ranks first for STEM concentration, and fourth for R&D intensity, sixth for tech company density, and third for science and engineering degree holders. 6

      • Suburban Maryland/Metro DC, spanning the Bethesda, Rockville and Gaithersburg areas in Montgomery County northwest to Frederick County, ranks fifth among U.S. life sciences clusters. The ranking is based on life science establishment and employment concentration, venture capital and NIH funding, as well as life sciences real estate supply, occupancy and rent. 7

      • Maryland ranks highly in the technology intensity of its business base. The state ranks third in science, engineering and technology (SET) establishments as a share of all business establishments (12.7%), third in employment in SET establishments as a share of all employment (16.24%), and third in SET business formation as a percent of all business establishments. 8
      • Maryland is an "Innovation Champion" according to the Consumer Technology Association's 2018 Innovation Scorecard. The ranking is based on 12 criteria that include sensible tax structures and policies allowing cutting-edge technologies and new business models to flourish, all of which creates high-quality jobs and healthy economic growth. Maryland received "A" ratings on "Advanced Degrees, Tech Workforce, Self-Driving Vehicles, and Drones". 9 

      • According to the CBRE 2019 U.S. Life Sciences Clusters report, Washington D.C. - Baltimore ranks sixth among leading life sciences markets based on laboratory inventory, size and long-term growth in life sciences employment, number and concentration of key scientists, and size of funding sources. 10

      • Maryland ranks as a top ten global cybersecurity hub for 2019 according to CSO. The state's cyber workforce as well as the presence of the NSA and other federal facilities, the Baltimore Cyber Range, and headquarters of 15 companies from the Cybersecurity 500 list contribute to Maryland's inclusion in the top ten. 11
      • According to Business Facilities anual state/metro/and global ranking report, among U.S. States Maryland ranks: third for cybersecurity, fifth for biotechnology strength, and eigth for digital infrastructure. 12 
        • Frederick, MD ranks eighth in business climate among small metro areas
       
      Resources

       
      1 The Milken Institute, State Technology and Science Index: Sustaining America's Innovation Economy, December 2020.   
      2 ITIF, 2020 State New Economy Index, October 19, 2020.
      3 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, Top 10 U.S. Biopharma Clusters, September 23, 2019. 
      4 U.S. Green Building Council press release, February 4, 2019.
      5 WalletHub, 2019's Most & Least Innovative States, March 18, 2019.
      6 Bloomberg U.S. State Innovation Index, June 22, 2020.
      7 Jones Lang LaSalle, U.S. Life Sciences Outlook Report 2019.
      8 National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators 2020, using data from 2016; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      9 Consumer Technology Association, 2020 U.S. Innovation Scorecard.
      10 CBRE, 2019 U.S. Life Sciences Clusters: Markets Positioned for "Century of Biology."
      11 CSO, Top 10 Global Cybersecurity Hubs for 2019, April 23, 2019.
      12 BusinessFacilities.com, "16th Annual State/Metro/Global Ranking Report", August 2020 


      ​​

  • Quality of Life

      • Johns Hopkins Hospital ranks third in the U.S. News and World Report honor roll of best hospitals in the nation, with excellence in fifteen out of sixteen specialty categories, and the highest rating possible in eight out of ten procedures or conditions evaluated. Further​more, Johns Hopkins Children‘s Center is nationally ranked in all ten pediatric specialties evaluated. 1 ​
      • Marylanders ranks second in the 2019 Generosity Index which measures the extent and depth of generosity. The index is based on percentage of tax filers donating to charity, in which Maryland ranks first, and percentage of aggregate income donated, in which the state ranks seventh. 2 
      • Maryland ranks fifth among the states in active physicians per capita, with over 24,600 doctors statewide.3 
      • Maryland ranks seventh for the percentage of households (89.1%) with a broadband internet subscription for 2019. 4

      • Maryland is the sixth best state according to a U.S. News and World Report ranking on over 70 weighted metrics that measure how well states are performing for their citizens, including health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime, and the natural environment. 5

      • Maryland is eighth in a ranking of America's Best States to Live In, based on population change, poverty level, unemployment rate, and life expectancy. 6

      • Three Maryland communities, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring  and Germantown, rank among the top ten most diverse cities in the U.S. according to a 2019 analysis of 500 cities by WalletHub. Furthermore, the three Montgomery County communities hold the top three places among small cities in the report, while Rockville, also in Montgomery County, places tenth. The ranking is based on an index of socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious diversity. 7

      • Baltimore places fifth among U.S. cities, and second among large cities with one million or more population, in Healthgrades' National Health Index based on access to care, population health, hospital quality, and local specialists. 8

      • Baltimore places fourth among large metros where African Americans are doing the best economically. The ranking is based on household income, home ownership, self-employment and population change. 9
      • Maryland ranks as the seventh most diverse state in the U.S. according to a WalletHub analysis of data in six major categories of diversity: socioeconomic (2nd), cultural (10th), economic (25th), household (10th), religious (30th) and political (19th). Additionally, Maryland ranks fourth for most educational –attainment and fifth for racial & ethnic diversity.   10
      • Maryland is the fourth safest state to raise children based on an analysis of child abuse, homicide, school shootings and poverty. 11
      • According to a U.S. News ranking of nearly 3,000 counties on 81 indicators that drive community health, Howard County, Maryland ranks 10th among the healthiest communities in the nation. 12
      • Baltimore is included in a Wall Street Journal list of the top three U.S. cities for recent college grads based on job opportunities, rent and social life. 13
      • Columbia, Maryland places first in a ranking of 180 cities across 41 key indicators of safety including home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial security. 14
      • According to a 2020 study by WalletHub, Maryland ranks ninth overall in racial integration, fifth in the smallest gap in poverty between blacks and whites, and sixth in the smallest gap in employment and wealth.15
      • According to a 2018 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Maryland ranks first among best and worst states for women based on employment and earnings. The ranking is based on women’s earnings, wage gap between men and women, labor force participation among women, and the share of women employed in professional or managerial occupations.16
      • According to Governing Magazine's annual "Cities on the Move report Baltimore City ranks as the top performer for resident involvement measured by how well city government "incorporates [citizen] reedback into decision-making and its transparency about how that input is used.17
      • Balitmore ranks 7th among large North American cities for connectivity according to FDi' American Cities of the Future 2019/20 report.18
      Resources 

      1 U.S. News and World Report, June and July 2020.  
      2 The Fraser Institute, Generosity in Canada and the United States: The 2019 Generosity Index, December 2019.
      ​3 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, data for 2019; ranking excludes Washington, DC.  
      4 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey.
      5 U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 2019.
      6 24/7 Wall Street, America's Best States to Live In, November 12, 2020.
      7 WalletHub, 2019's Most Diverse Cities in the U.S., April 10, 2019.
      8 Healthgrades.com, 2019 National Health Index, October 2018.
      9 Forbes.com, The Cities Where African-Americans are Doing the Best Economically 2018, January 15, 2018.
      10 WalletHub, 2019's Most & Least Diverse States in America, September 9, 2020.
      11 SafeHome.org, How Safe is Your State to Raise Children, 2018.
      12 U.S. News and World Report, Healthiest Communities Ranking 2019.
      13 Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2019.
      14 WalletHub, 2019's Safest Cities in America, December 2, 2019.
      15 WalletHub, 2020’s States with the Most Racial Progress, 01/14/2020.
      16 The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, The Economic Status of Women in the States, 03/01/2018 ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      17 Governing Magazine, "2019 Profiles in High-Performance Government: Cities on the Move”, 2019. 
      18 FDI Magazine, “American Cities of the Future 2019-2020”, June 2019. 

  • Research and Development

      • ​Johns Hopkins University ranks first among U.S. colleges and universities in total National Institutes of Health awards, including grants and contracts for research, development, training and fellowships ($763.6 million). 1 
      • Johns Hopkins University ranks first among academic institutions in the nation in research and development expenditures, totaling $2.66 billion in FY 2018.  The university also ranks first in federally funded research ($2.25 billion). 2 
      • ​Maryland ranks first in Natio​nal Institutes of Health research and development contract awards ($779.6 million). 3 
      • Maryland ranks first among the states in federal obligations for research and development ($17.7 billion) and first on a per capita basis. 4 
      • Maryland ranks second in research and development intensity, which is the ratio of total R&D expenditures to gross domestic product (GDP) by state.  Maryland ranks seventh in total R&D performance, including federal and state government, business, nonprofit and academia. 5   
      • Maryland ranks fifth in R&D expenditures at universities and colleges, totaling $4.17 billion in FY 2018. Further, Maryland ranks third in federal government R&D spending at universities and colleges with $3.21 billion. 6 
      • According to the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Maryland is home to 75 federal laboratories, more than twice as many as any other state.7
      • Johns Hopkins University ranks 25th worldwide among universities in the number of World Intellectual Property Organization administered Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international patent applications for 2019, totaling 87.8 
       
      Resources
      ​
       1 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2019.
       2 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2018.
       3 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2019.
       4 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2018, and U.S. Bureau of the Census; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
       5 National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators, data for FY 2016​. 
       6 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2018.
       7 Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, federallabs.org, as of November 2020.​
       8 World Intellectual Property Organization, data for 2019.

  • Workforce

      • ​Marylan​d has the highest concentration of employed doctoral scientists and engineers. The state ranks first in total PhD scientists and engineers per 100,000 employed workers, with a first place ranking for PhD scientists and fifth for PhD engin​eers. Maryland also holds rankings in the following fields for employed doctoral scientists per 100,000 employed workers: 
        • first in biological sciences, mathematics and statistics, and health 
        • second in physical sciences and social sciences
        • third in psychology 
        • sixth in computer and information sciences1
      • Maryland ranks second among the states in the percentage of professional and technical workers (29.2%) in the workforce. 2 
      • ​Maryland ranks fourth among the states in the percentage of the population age 25 and above with a bachelor’s degree or higher (40.9%) and second in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree (19.1%).  3 
      • Maryland has the highest concentration of workers in STEM occupations at 9.8%, totaling 252,910 workers in 2019. 4

      • According to the Cyberstates 2020 report, Maryland ranks third among the states in median tech occupation wages ($98,961), 2nd in the ratio of female workers in tech occupations (24.1%), fifth for highest concentration of tech employment relative the state's overall employment base (10.3%), and eighth for tech GSP as a percentage of total GSP (11.8%).  5
      • Maryland ranks fourth among the states in federal government employment, with 145,576 non-military federal jobs in 2019. On a per capita basis, the state ranks first with 240 federal jobs per 10,000 residents. Non-military federal jobs generate $15.8 billion in total wages in Maryland, ranking fourth among the states. Further, these jobs pay better in Maryland than in any other state, with an average annual wage of $108,930, which is 29% higher than the national average. 6 
      • Baltimore maintains its first place position among the "Best American Cities for Women in Business," which is based on the percentage of women-owned businesses, executive jobs held by women, gender wage gap, and buying power of women. 7
      • Baltimore is first in a ranking of the best cities for women in technology based on tech jobs filled by women, tech job growth, overall pay for women and the gender pay gap. 8
      • In a study of growth and concentration of "creative class" workers in large U.S. metros, Baltimore ranks seventh among large metros for share of creative class workers in 2017 (44.9%). Further, Baltimore is one of only two of the top ten leading creative class metros to rank in the top ten also for growth in the creative class share from 2005 to 2017 (16.0%).9
       
      Resources
      1 National Science Foundation data for 2017 and U.S. Census Bureau; ranking excludes Washington, DC.  
      ​2 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      3 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2019 American Community Survey; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data for May 2019; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      5 CompTIA, Cyberstates 2020; ranking excludes Washington, DC.     
      6 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Wages, Annual Averages 2019; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; ranking excludes Washington, DC.
      7 ShareFile.com, Best American Cities for Women in Business, October 22, 2018.
      8 SmartAsset.com, The Best Cities for Women in Tech, February 06, 2020.
      9 CityLab, "Maps Reveal Where the Creative Class is Growing," July 9, 2019.

       

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