Greater Baltimore is…

A Growing Metropolitan Region

• 19th largest metro area in the country
• Part of the 4th largest CSA in the country (the broader “umbrella” region)
• Population grew by 5% from 2000 to 2005—more than the State’s 3.7%
• Projected to increase by more than 8% by 2010—the largest increase of any region in the State
• The region now encompasses more than 3,000 square miles

 A Booming and Thriving Economic Center

• During the next decade, the State’s labor force is projected to increase by nearly 12%
• In 2006, 47% of the State’s workforce was in the Baltimore region
• Boasts an unemployment rate lower than the U.S. since 1998—4.1% in 2006
• 8th highest per capita income of the top 25 most populous metro areas in the U.S.—$38,813
• Median household income of $57,447
• A global economy—ranking 56th in the world when compared to all countries worldwide and all U.S. metro areas
• Headquarters for several large companies—Northrop Grumman (lines of buiness), T. Rowe Price, Legg Mason, Constellation Energy Group, CareFirst, Black & Decker, W.R. Grace, Bank of America (regional)
• Significant industry focus on life sciences/biotech, financial services, IT/defense and healthcare

 Well-Connected to the Federal Government

• Home to the National Security Agency, Ft. Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground, the U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Several of the region’s top employers are IT/Defense contractors—Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, SAIC, ARINC, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Well-poised to accommodate the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions—Ft. Meade and Aberdeen are expected to gain nearly 15,000 direct jobs by 2012
• 33% of the total jobs expected from BRAC will belong to existing federal employees in IT who will elect to relocate to the State

A Strong Biotech Center

• Three regional bioparks and XX incubator space
• Region’s bioscience workforce has grown to XXX employees
• Companies—how many
• New facilities and investment?

 An Educational Leader

• More than 30 colleges and universities—with more than 75,000 full-time equivalent students enrolled
• Ranked 3rd nationally for best public schools in large metro areas
• The region has 70% of the State’s 4-year independent institutions

Highly Educated Workforce

• 33% of the population (25 years and older) has a bachelor’s degree or higher—ranking the Baltimore region 10th among the top 25 largest metro areas
• 14% of the population has an advanced degree—ranking the region 5th nationally among the 25 most populous metro areas
• Combined with the Greater Washington area, the entire region has 41% of the population with bachelor’s degrees or higher—making the region 3rd nationally, just behind Ithaca, NY (43.2) and San Jose (41.1)
• 12% of the region’s occupations are in computer/math, engineering/architecture, business and finance and life/physical/social sciences—which combined have 145,000 employees

 International Presence

• Maryland ranks 18th in the U.S. for the number of foreign company jobs with 101,100 employees—5% of the state total
• Foreign-owned firms in the state include:  AEGON, Allianz, BAE Systems, Deutsche Telekom, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC, Nestle, Siemens, Sodexho, Toyota, and Zurich, among many others
• 117 languages spoken in the State—after English and Spanish, some of the top languages spoken are French, Chinese, Korean, German, Tagalog, Russian and Vietnamese

 Well-Connected

• Three of the nation’s top 30 airports—serving in total over 62 million passengers in 2006
• The three airports combined offer more than 1,085 daily non-stop flights to 95 domestic locations and direct flights to 34 international destinations
• Amtrak offers several daily trains to Washington, D.C. (40 minutes), Philadelphia (60 minutes), New York City (2 hours) and Boston (6 hours)
• A regional commuter train (MARC) has 39 trains serving the entire Baltimore-Washington area
• Light rail service provides transit from the airport to downtown Baltimore, Camden Yards, Penn Station and employment centers in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties
• A subway operates a 15.5 mile, 14 station system from Baltimore County through Downtown Baltimore to Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Easily accessible interstate connections—quick access to I-95, I-695, I-70, I-295 and I-97

 A Great Quality of Life

• Relatively low cost option for living compared to other high-cost markets on the East Coast
• Median home price of $286,500—above the U.S. average but well below the neighboring Washington DC metro area average of $431,900
• Ranks 16th nationally, and first among major metro areas in the Northeast, for home price appreciation from 2003 to the third quarter of 2006—a 59% increase
• Strong healthcare and research base—one of the nation’s leading health care and research centers, driven largely by Johns Hopkins University, consistently ranked as America’s best hospital and medical university by U.S. News and World Report
• Vibrant downtown and waterfront areas—Baltimore is ranked as having one of the nation’s strongest emerging downtowns—it is among the nation’s top 10 downtowns for residential population density and the number of high income residents
• Baltimore City is regarded as one of the nation’s models for urban revitalization and renewal—due in part to the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards baseball stadium, mass revitalization of historic buildings and neighborhoods, and many recent condo, hotel and office projects
• 64 Maryland public high schools are among the top 1,200 in the nation
• Ranked 7th nationally as a top arts destination
• Consistently ranks among the top 10 regions for singles
• Ranked 11th for food and lifestyle, based on local cuisine and recreation assets
• Uniquely situated on the Chesapeake Bay and near the mountains and Atlantic Ocean beaches