Maryland is located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. With more than 300 biotechnology companies headquartered there, Maryland is a hub for life sciences research and development. Some of these are National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institute of Health (NIH), Human Genome Sciences (HGS), Johns Hopkins University and Goddard Space Flight Center. It is home to 5,699,478 (2009 est.).*
Food processing is Maryland’s most important in the manufacturing sector by value, closely followed by printing and publishing, machinery, and chemicals. The state’s agricultural outputs include sweet corn, squash, peas, muskmelons, watermelons, cucumbers and tomatoes, blue crab, menhaden, striped bass, and oysters. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis the gross state product of Maryland was at $273 billion as of 2008.**
The unemployment rate for Maryland was estimated to be at 73% as of August 2010.***
| Unemployment Agency | Website | Phone Number | State |
| Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation | Maryland Website | 1-800-827-4839 | Maryland Unemployment Benefits |
Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in Maryland:****
| Employer | City |
| NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH | Bethesda |
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND | College Park |
| US GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CTR | Greenbelt |
| MELWOOD CUSTODIAL SVC INC | Greenbelt |
| GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CTR | Greenbelt |
| NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH | Bethesda |
| WASHINGTON COUNTY RECREATION | Hagerstown |
| NATIONAL AERONAUTICS SPACE ADM | Greenbelt |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN ELECTRO SYSTS | Baltimore |
| TITAN STEEL CORP | Baltimore |
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MED CTR | Baltimore |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV APPLIED | Laurel |
| US HEALTH & HUMAN SVC DEPT | Baltimore |
| CAREFIRST INC | Owings Mills |
| FORT DETRICK | Frederick |
| HYDRO ALUMINUM NORTH AMERICA | Linthicum Heights |
| US POST OFFICE | Capitol Heights |
| MILLENIUM INORGANIC CHEMICALS | Cockeysville |
| APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY | Laurel |
| GREATER BALTIMORE MEDICAL CTR | Towson |
| JOHNS HOPKINS BAYVIEW MED CTR | Baltimore |
| JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF MED | Baltimore |
| UNION MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Baltimore |
| PENINSULA REGIONAL MEDICAL CTR | Salisbury |
| GEICO INSURANCE | Chevy Chase |
| LAUREL REGIONAL HOSPITAL | Laurel |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN INTEGRATED SYS | Gaithersburg |
| MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC | Bethesda |
| MASS TRANSIT ADM-CALL-A-LIFT | Baltimore |
| NATIONAL INST STANDARDS & TCH | Gaithersburg |
| US DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION | Hyattsville |
| ST. AGNES HOSPITAL | Baltimore |
| US DEPT OF COMMERCE | Gaithersburg |
| CITICORP CREDIT SVC INC | Hagerstown |
| NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE | Bethesda |
| CROSBY CORP | Laurel |
| FRANKLIN SQUARE HOSPITAL | Baltimore |
| FREDERICK MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Frederick |
| HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL | Silver Spring |
| NATIONAL NAVAL MEDICAL CTR | Bethesda |
| US NAVAL ACADEMY | Annapolis |
| BALTIMORE WASHINGTON MED CTR | Glen Burnie |
| GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL | Baltimore |
| INFINITE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS | Rockville |
| NV HOMES | Gaithersburg |
| WESTERN MARYLAND REGL MED CTR | Cumberland |
| KENNEDY KREIGER INSTITUTE | Baltimore |
| WASHINGTON COUNTY HOSPITAL | Hagerstown |
| ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CTR | Towson |
| USSI INC | Bethesda |
Sources:
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24000.html
** http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/action.cfm
*** http://data.bls.gov:8080/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet;jsessionid=62301f69ef4f78413553
**** http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview6.asp?printer=&next=oview6&id=11&nodeid=12&stfips=24&group=1