Business & Tech
Howard County's Unemployment Rate Lowest in State
The jurisdiction was one of two in Maryland with below 5 percent of its population calculated as unemployed.
The most recent unemployment rates indicate Howard County has the lowest rate of unemployment in the state, according to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
The statistic comes from the February unemployment numbers, which the department released in the past week, showing the rate of joblessness was 4.2 percent in Howard County.
"In the past five years, more private sector jobs have been added in Howard County than in any other county in Maryland," Ulman said in prepared remarks. "Our proximity to Fort Meade makes us especially attractive to a growing number of technology and cyber-security businesses."
Besides Howard, the only other county in the state with an unemployment rate below 5 percent was Montgomery County, at 4.4 percent.
The highest was 15.4 percent, in Worcester County, according to the report. Baltimore City was in the middle at 8.4 percent.
"We’ve worked hard to build a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in Howard County and we’ve created an ecosystem that is allowing the private sector to grow and thrive," Ulman said. "In today’s competitive business climate, we continue to focus every day on getting more people back to work."
The overall state unemployment rate is 5.7 percent.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
