The diversity of Baltimore employment opportunities, affordable housing, great neighborhoods, good schools and cultural amenities make the city a great place to live, work, and visit. Baltimore has over 400,000 jobs in government, manufacturing, academia, financial services, and health care. Baltimore has a rich history as a thriving port since the 1600s. Blue-collar workers who earn a living at the docks and factories continue to live in strong ethnic neighborhoods. Corporations, universities, and research hospitals give Baltimore a uniquely educated populace. The city’s historic areas, outstanding restaurants, world-class aquarium, great museums, and the beautiful Inner Harbor are major attractions.
Baltimore Employment Opportunities
Baltimore employment is available in corporations, small businesses, government, and non-profit groups. There are about 250,000 jobs at private companies. Major corporations with headquarters or major operations in Baltimore include McCormick Food Products (2,270 jobs), Black and Decker power tools (1.200 jobs), Lockheed Martin (1.800 jobs), Severstal Steel (2.500), and T. Rowe Price Financial Services (2.600 jobs).
The Johns Hopkins University and Hospital complex is a major asset to Baltimore employment. There are three campuses of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore that provide thousands of academic and medical jobs. Johns Hopkins research and development expenditures ($1.55 billion in FY 2007), which are primarily funded by the federal government, are greater than any other US university.
Baltimore has 74,000 federal, state and local government jobs. The federal government jobs are highly prized by employees because of the job security and pensions. The nationwide headquarters of the U.S. Social Security Administration employs about 10,000 people in Baltimore. About 3,000 people are employed in the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Baltimore employment in the federal, state and local governments serves a stabilizing force in thecity’s economy, which is very good for service businesses. In addition to the corporate and government Baltimore employment, about 35,000 people are self-employed in their own businesses. About 41,000 people are employed in non-profit enterprises.
The effect of the recession can be seen in the increased unemployment rates throughout the United States. While Baltimore has suffered an increase in unemployment, conditions are better than in many parts of the nation. Baltimore County’s unemployment rate in April 2009 was 7.1 percent, up from 3.1 percent in April 2008. The City of Baltimore’s unemployment rate in April 2009 was 9.8 percent, up from 5.2 percent. The city’s unemployment rate is higher that the surrounding suburbs, as is the case with most U.S. urban areas.
Baltimore Employment Agencies and Resources
The Baltimore City One-Stop Job Center has a web site at: http://www.dllr.state.md.us/county/bacity. This job center is operated by a number of state agencies that provide training and employment services to job seekers and businesses. If you are particularly interested in employment at the Johns Hopkins medical complex, you can check: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/jhhr/CareerServices. Information about Johns Hopkins University jobs is at https://hrnt.jhu.edu/jhujobs. To find out about federal government jobs at the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, check out http://www.socialsecurity.gov/careers or call (410) 965-4506.
Baltimore Employment Living Conditions
Baltimore’s high quality jobs provide residents with a solid income that results in a strong consumer demand for goods and services. The median household income in Baltimore is about $68,000 There is an extensive inventory of homes and apartments that are available for sale and rent at all price levels. In the Baltimore metro area, the median home price is about $245,000. A two-bedroom unit rents for about $1,037, as compared to the most expensive US city, San Francisco, which rents a similar unit for $1,658.
Baltimore public schools benefit from the state of Maryland’s high quality educational standards. Maryland’s public high schools are ranked first in the nation by Newsweek magazine in June 2009. Maryland’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 system also is ranked first by Education Week’s 2009 assessment. The three campuses of the Johns Hopkins University have a major impact on the intellectual and cultural life of Baltimore. U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges survey ranks Johns Hopkins as 15th among universities with doctoral degrees. The same survey ranks the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as number five in the nation’s up-and-coming universities. The UMBC’s law school is ranked among the top ten for healthcare law and environmental law.
Baltimore employment centers are well served by the highway system. Interstate 95 goes through the city to provide access to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City to the north. Baltimore city and county traffic is served by the beltway I-695. Interstate 70 carries traffic to the west. Route 50 transports people to the Chesapeake Bay and to the Atlantic ocean beaches. Excellent mass transit is available in Baltimore on buses, metro subway, light rail and the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) train service. The Baltimore-Washington International Airport has more than 600 domestic and international flights every day to more than 70 cities.
Baltimore has a great variety of recreational and cultural activities throughout the city. The Inner Harbor is a popular destination that boasts the huge Baltimore Aquarium, shopping, boating, and outstanding restaurants. Nearby is Baltimore’s renowned Little Italy, which is full of terrific restaurants. With its cobbled stone streets and its waterfront location, historic Fells Point, dating back to 1670, is full of trendy restaurants, bars, and boutiques along cobbled streets at the waterfront. Baltimore has an impressive number of outstanding museums, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the Maryland Science Center. The people of the city love the Baltimore Orioles, Major League Baseball, and the Baltimore Ravens, the National Football League team. Excellent thoroughbred horse racing is at the Pimlico Track, which is well known for the Preakness, which is the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Baltimore Employment Conclusion
Baltimore is a very livable city with affordable housing, good public schools, outstanding universities and hospitals, and excellent cultural and leisure-time opportunities. Baltimore’s 400,000 jobs make it a major employment center on the East Coast. Baltimore employment offers opportunities for people in many fields, including health care, academia, and government, as well as manufacturing, port operations, and tourism.
