The local economy of Maryland and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.1%
-0.2 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Carroll County 3.0%, highest Baltimore city 5.5%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,676
+2.7%vs a year ago
2,700,282 jobs at 201,135 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
13,400
-3.7%this year vs last year
Most in Montgomery County 2,836, Prince George County 1,768.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-20,851
-4.3 per 1,000residents
139,190 moved in and 160,041 moved out. Most newcomers came from Virginia.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Maryland gas price
$4.27
+$1.23vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Washington County $4.11, highest Allegany County $4.44. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Maryland, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
143K
+0.3%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.47M
+1.3%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.4%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$168.1B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$68,097
Highest sector: Utilities $138,759.
Per employee per year
Share of Maryland's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 197,368 | $24,833 |
| Employment Services | 129,978 | $56,058 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 99,709 | $82,418 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 86,551 | $115,750 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 61,483 | $110,453 |
| Grocery Stores | 59,678 | $30,996 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 58,126 | $80,030 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 56,808 | $99,471 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 56,264 | $38,242 |
| Offices of Physicians | 52,191 | $99,754 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 51,834 | $105,973 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 44,925 | $137,450 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Maryland, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Maryland is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Maryland, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Maryland was 4.1% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.3% a year earlier. 3,069,927 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,199,779. Among its counties, Carroll County had the lowest rate (3.0%) and Baltimore city the highest (5.5%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Maryland was $1,676 in Q1 2026, up 2.7% from a year earlier, across 2,700,282 jobs at 201,135 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 967 new homes in Maryland in August 2026 (571 single-family and 376 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 9,616, down 3.7% from the same months last year, and 13,400 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Montgomery County (2,836), Prince George County (1,768), Anne Arundel County (1,585) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 139,190 people moved to Maryland and 160,041 moved away, a net loss of 20,851 (-4.3 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Virginia, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and most people who left went to Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania.
Regular gasoline in Maryland averaged $4.27 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.23 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.36. Among its counties, Washington County had the lowest regular price ($4.11) and Allegany County the highest ($4.44).
Health Care and Social Assistance (403,945 employees), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (301,509 employees), Retail Trade (289,469 employees) were the largest sectors in Maryland in 2023. In all, 142,967 business locations employed 2,468,367 people at an average pay of $68,097 a year.