Baltimore County's diverse business community is at the center of a compact East Coast market, centered in planned development corridors surrounding the independent city of Baltimore. Baltimore County is the largest jurisdiction in a metropolitan area which has a population in excess of 2.6 million people.
Baltimore County sites offer a variety of corporate campuses, office, mixed-use and flex space all located in the largest population center in Baltimore Region. Businesses are near the workers, infrastructure and amenities critical to site location decisions.
With 612 square miles of land, Baltimore County has the third largest land area, the largest population (787,384), and the second highest number of jobs (431,861) in Maryland.
Room to Grow
Baltimore County starts with planned development, providing the basic infrastructure and quality of life which business needs to succeed. A comprehensive Master Plan maintains zoning for commercial and industrial expansion in balance with open space and 175 miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline.
Infrastructure Supports Business Growth
All Baltimore County business parks built since 1988 are networked for fiber optics, with redundant power supplies in major growth and industrial areas. An integrated transportation network, anchored by I-95 and I-70, the deepwater Port of Baltimore and rail systems, allows for efficient distribution and e-commerce fulfillment operations.
The County and State are moving forward aggressively to construct several road projects to provide access to enable key development opportunities, the largest of which is the now completed $60 million 3.8-mile road extension of MD 43 to Eastern Avenue. In a major effort to boost the economy of Baltimore County’s Eastside, the extension of MD 43 opened a 1,000 acres of land-locked, industrially-zoned properties just two miles from I-95 and the White Marsh Growth Area. The development, Baltimore Crossroads@95, is the largest development ready land opportunity between Philadelphia and Richmond along I-95. Since the road opened in 2006, Crossroads which holds the potential for 10,000 new jobs, has seen significant speculative and tenanted construction of office, flex and industrial buildings.
In August of 2006, major repair was completed on the Wise Avenue draw bridge. This repair project temporarily closed the bridge, in turn necessitating a limited time lending program for businesses impacted by the project. The Wise Avenue bridge became operational 2nd Quarter 2007. Construction began in July, 2003, and opened to traffic in October 2006.
The County and State have broken ground on the Metro Center at Owings Mills. The new transportation-oriented development is being constructed on a 43-acre site surrounding the terminus of the Baltimore Metro system. The largest transportation-oriented development in the Baltimore Metropolitan area, the $280 million project will provide 1.2 million square feet of office, 235,000 of retail, nearly 500 residential units, hotel, a public library and community college.
Baltimore County has rebuilt and assumed control and maintenance of Grays Road from Mittal. The 1.7 mile road has 22 businesses with 300 employees that generate 4,000 weekly truck and vehicle trips. The transfer to County control and the subsequent reconstruction to County standards improve access, supporting and stimulating activity in the area.
In 1996, as part of the implementation of the Eastern Baltimore County Revitalization Strategy, the County extended Kelso Drive enabling the development of the Marshfield Business Park. 1.3 million square feet of space became available generating 500 jobs with companies such as U.S. Can, Restoration Hardware, and DAP. In late 2006, the County will construct another extension of the road at a cost of $1.2 million, opening up more than 100 acres of new land product for industrial development.
Employment Strength—Ready Workforce
Baltimore County's employment base has grown by more than 10,780 net new jobs from 2000 through 2006. Baltimore County enjoys an average unemployment rate well below that of the Baltimore Metropolitan Area (4.0 percent 2006 Annual Average).
A knowledge-based workforce is trained to meet business needs. Over 32.0 percent of Baltimore County adults hold a bachelors degree or better, well over the national average of 27.2 percent. The Baltimore region's 25 colleges and universities collaborate with employers to provide a pipeline of talent and custom training.
Strength in Business Diversity
Baltimore County's business diversity brings balance to the region's economy. Technology and services firms dominate, with a healthy mix of federal agencies, health care, financial services, higher education and manufacturing.
Targeted growth sectors include medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing and discovery, software development, and information technologies.
Contact us at businesshelp@baltimorecountymd.gov
Baltimore County
Department of Economic Development
400 Washington Avenue Towson Maryland 21204
Phone 410-887-8000
Revised November 7, 2007
Courthouse 