Maryland · Economy & Workforce

Net Employer Business Formation in Maryland

Net new employer businesses as a share of existing stock; new businesses opened minus closures, scaled to state size.

0.6% in 2023

#35 of 50 · Bottom tier (higher is better)

Maryland is worse than the 50-state median (1.0%). That's a gap of 0.4%.

View interactive chart & trend → See full 50-state ranking →

1978 – 2023 · Maryland only · interactive chart with US median overlay →

About net employer business formation

What this measures: Net change in employer businesses (births minus closures) as a share of existing stock.

Why it matters: Net formation tells you whether a state's business base is growing or shrinking, beyond just the count of new firms.

Watch out: Can hide a lot of churn. A flat net number is consistent with high entry plus high exit.

Recent trend

YearMarylandUS median
20140.8%0.7%
20150.4%0.9%
20161.6%1.5%
20170.0%0.1%
20180.1%0.2%
20190.6%0.8%
2020-0.1%-0.0%
2021-0.1%0.8%
20221.4%1.7%
20230.6%1.0%

Maryland vs. neighboring states

Same metric (net employer business formation), latest year with full state coverage. Click any name for that state's full report.

StateNet Employer Business FormationNational rank
Virginia 1.1% #25 of 50
West Virginia 0.9% #29 of 50
Pennsylvania 0.1% #50 of 50
Delaware 2.9% #1 of 50

How Maryland compares (2023)

Top 5 best

#1Delaware2.9%
#2Texas2.5%
#3Wyoming2.4%
#4Utah2.3%
#5Florida2.2%

Bottom 5

#46Connecticut0.3%
#47Minnesota0.3%
#48New Hampshire0.3%
#49Iowa0.2%
#50Pennsylvania0.1%

Source and methodology

Source: Census Business Dynamics Statistics · Direction: higher is better · Unit: %

Download raw CSV (all 50 states, all years)

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