High-tech, science and professional occupations make up a substantial percentage of the jobs in Maryland. About 25% of Maryland’s workforce consists of professional and technical workers, and over 15% of Maryland’s adult residents have a graduate or professional degree. Healthcare is a globally significant source of Maryland jobs. The Free State and its largest city, Baltimore, are in the vanguard of biotechnology and life sciences research. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD is considered the best in the nation. The adjacent East Baltimore Biotech Park will further add to the growth of Maryland careers in such fields as genomics and pharmaceuticals.

Of course not all high-tech Baltimore jobs are in the medical field. The city’s proximity to Washington, D.C. has made it a leading center for defense, aerospace and finance. The service, manufacturing, transportation and shipping sectors are also of vital importance to the Baltimore economy. Agriculture and trade are leading statewide economic contributors. The federal government is a major provider of jobs in Columbia, Maryland, the state’s second largest city, and Maryland as a whole.