Understanding Maryland’s Economic Competitiveness: Understanding Where Maryland Stands

Building a prosperous, competitive economy takes understanding of where we stand today.  

No matter where you live, what you do, what industry you work in or what your political affiliation is, there’s one thing most everyone can agree upon: Building a prosperous, resilient state where people, communities and businesses can thrive is critical to making Maryland a great place to live, to raise a family and to own a business.  

A state that is economically competitive creates prosperity and success all around by attracting business, investment, and a skilled, diverse workforce. In turn, the investments made lead to a growing economy, improved quality of life, and healthy, dynamic communities that people and businesses commit for the long term.   

While most everyone can agree that advancing economic competitiveness is good for all, determining the strategies and steps to create a supportive environment for economic growth can be challenging.  

A great place to start: understanding the  conversation around where our state currently stands in regards to key economic indicators including employment growth, population change, wages, taxation, business friendliness, infrastructure investments, and economic, fiscal and regulatory freedom.  

In an effort to start this important conversation, we’ve published the 2023 Competitiveness Redbook for Maryland. This data-driven snapshot provides a wealth of information, insights and opportunities that can benefit everyone  by identifying areas of strength, weakness and opportunity and areas where we can make small and big strides to advance Maryland’s economic prosperity and competitiveness. 

In addition,  over the next several months, we’ll be sharing key insights from the competitiveness data, along with a look at the trends the data reveals and what it means for Maryland business leaders, industry and policymakers, starting with the below spotlight on Maryland’s business friendliness.

As you’ll see in the data, while there are areas of strength, our state and our businesses are struggling with issues including modest employment growth, lagging GDP and export growth, high rates of taxation, and burdensome economic, fiscal and regulatory policies that are making it difficult to attract and retain businesses, support growth, and ensure Marylanders have plentiful opportunities to secure great jobs. 

We encourage you to use this data to understand the realities facing Maryland’s economy and business community. By working collaboratively to remove obstacles, update policies, and create a pro-business atmosphere where both businesses and communities thrive, we can make Maryland a top competitor for business with an economy that leaves no one behind.