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Maryland Department of Commerce

How We Position Maryland

A big part of what Commerce does is tell Maryland’s story to the businesses, investors and talent we want to attract. We make the case for why Maryland is the place to grow, and we back it up with evidence. That case rests on four enduring strengths that consistently set Maryland apart from competing states.

Maryland’s value proposition: four pillars

  • Top Talent and Workforce.

    One of the nation’s most educated, STEM-ready and diverse workforces, with a rare concentration of security-cleared talent and 57 colleges and universities.

  • Strategic Location and Connectivity.

    At the heart of the Mid-Atlantic, with unmatched access to the federal government and Washington, D.C., the Port of Baltimore and four international airports.

  • Innovation and Industry Leadership.

    Where federal research labs, world-class universities and priority industries converge, from life sciences and cyber to the Capital of Quantum.

  • Quality of Life.

    Strong schools and healthcare alongside culture, history and natural beauty, at a lower cost of living than D.C., Boston, New York or the Bay Area.

A few of the numbers behind the pillars

  • #1

    in the nation for academic research and development spending.
  • Top 3

    biopharma cluster, with nearly 3,400 life sciences companies.
  • $18B+

    in annual NIH funding flowing through Maryland institutions.
  • #3

    highest median household income in the nation.

How we bring it to life

Communicating this value is core Commerce work. We do it through three audience-focused websites, each telling Maryland’s story to a different group.

Where the story lives

The full case

These four pillars are the foundation of how we market Maryland. The deeper case, with the data and the stories behind each strength, lives on our business website.

Explore Business.Maryland.gov