Frederick County is where creativity meets
innovation, and where people discover bright
new opportunities. Here, a single idea can
transform into monumental success. With
a dynamic and diverse business community,
the County boasts a strategic location,
comprehensive transportation network,
educated workforce and moderate business
costs.
Frederick County’s community is like no other;
the main streets are thriving, and entrepreneurs
are creating unique businesses. The County is a
top vibrant arts community and is the leader of
the craft beverage cluster growth in Maryland.
Major employers continue to grow including Fort Detrick, Frederick
Health, Leidos Biomedical and Frederick National Lab.
Life Sciences is Frederick County’s largest growing cluster with
international leaders such as Kite a Gilead Company, Thermo Fisher
Scientic, Lonza and AstraZeneca. Recent projects in other sectors
include Rowan Digital Infrastructure’s location at Quantum Loophole,
a rst-of-its-kind environmentally friendly data center campus and
Inventwood’s new 88,971 sf facility in Frederick.
Frederick County offers an enticing mix of site opportunities, water
and energy infrastructure, tax advantages and a business environment
with lower operating costs when compared to the region. There are
several major development projects under construction or expanding
with commercial space available. With 5 designated Opportunity
Zones, 2 Enterprise Zones, and a business incubator, businesses are
taking advantage of the resources and strategic location.
Washington, DC
New York
Frederick
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
Baltimore
Baltimore
Frederick County is
intersected by ve major
highways providing easy access
to Baltimore, Washington, D.C.,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia..
LOCATION
Driving distance from Frederick: Miles Kilometers
Atlanta, Georgia 635 1,021
Baltimore, Maryland 46 75
Boston, Massachusetts 443 713
Chicago, Illinois 637 1,025
New York, New York 232 373
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 143 229
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania 179 288
Richmond, Virginia 145 233
Washington, DC 44 71
CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
1
Yearly Precipitation (inches) 43.6
Yearly Snowfall (inches) 26.3
Summer Temperature (ºF) 74.4
Winter Temperatire (ºF) 33.6
Days Below Freezing 106.1
Land Area (square miles) 662.7
Water area (square miles) 4.6
Elevation (ft) 200 to 1,895
POPULATION
2,3
Frederick County
Households Population
Maryland part of
Washington DC
metro* Maryland
2010 84,800 233,385 2,036,172 5,773,552
2020 92,526 271,717 2,226,589 6,055,802
2030** 113,425 295,120 2,324,580 6,254,500
*Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties
**Projections
Selected places population (2020): Frederick 78,171; Ballenger
Creek 24,999; Urbana 13,304; Linganore 12,351; Thurmont
6,213; Brunswick 7,762; Walkersville 5,800; Spring Ridge 6,005
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
2,3
(2022)
Age Number Percent
Under 5yrs 15,903 5.4%
5 - 19 yrs 54,482 17.8%
20 - 44 yrs 88,637 27.8%
45 -64 yrs 74,011 27.2%
65 and over 40,796 22.0%
Total 267,498 100.0%
Median Age 38.9 Years
2024.1
Business.Maryland.go
v
Brief Economic Facts
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
LABOR AVAILABILITY
3,4,5
(BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE)
Civilian Labor Force (2023 avg.) County
Labor Mkt.
Area*
Total civilian labor force 136,641
1,182,066
Employment 133,976
1,158,002
Unemployment 2,665 24,064
Unemployment rate 2.0% 2.0%
Residents commuting outside the county
to work (2018-2022)
Percent
36.4%
Employment in selected occupations (2018-2022)
Management, business, science and arts 72,133 49.9%
Service 21,502 14.9%
Sales and ofce 26,697 18.5%
Production, transp. and material moving 11,967 8.3%
*Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties
MAJOR EMPLOYERS
6,7
(2022-2023)
Employer Product/Service Employment
Fort Detrick Campus* Army, NCI, and other tenants 10,776
Frederick County Public Schools Public Education 7,414
Frederick Health Comprehensive Health Care 3,360
Frederick County Government County Government 2,969
Leidos Biomed / Frederick
National Lab Medical Research 2,448
Frederick Community College Two-Year College 1,445
City of Frederick Government Municipal Government 923
Thermo Fisher Scientic Life Sciences Research 782
Legal and General America Life Insurance Headquarters 757
Mount Saint Mary’s University Four-Year University 732
AstraZeneca BioTech Manufacturing 725
NVR, Inc.
Home Building and Mortgage
Banking 712
Costco Wholesale
Wholesale Distribution
Center and E-commerce
Center 640
Aldi Distribution Center and Retail
Retail Supermarket and
Distribution 596
STULZ Air Technology Systems,
Inc.
Manufacturer, Commercial
Air Conditioners and
Dehumidiers 529
Lonza Biological Products 517
Kite Pharma Life Sciences 488
YMCA of Frederick County Recreation and Sports Center 469
Excludes post ofces,state and local governments, national retail and national
foodservice; includes higher education
* Employee counts for federal and military facilities exclude contractors to the
extent possible; embedded contractors may be included
+Includes employees at Frederick National Lab
++Includes U.S. Fire Academy, FEMA and other tenants
EMPLOYMENT
4
(2023)
Industry
Estab-
lishments
Annual
Avg. Empl. Empl. %
Avg. Wkly.
Wage
Federal Government 79 4,726 4.5% $2,291
State Government 12 864 0.8% 1,210
Local Government 93 12,110 11.5% 1,280
Private Sector 7,060 88,004 83.3% 1,240
Natural resources and
mining 67 616 0.6% 868
Construction 889 9,404 8.9% 1,474
Manufacturing 227 5,759 5.4% 1,385
Trade, Transportation,
and utilities 1,164 19,075 18.0% 954
Information 148 1,044 1.0% 3,256
Financial activities 633 4,769 4.5% 2,420
Professional and
business services 1,756 16,602 15.7% 1,646
Education and health
services 891 14,965 14.2% 1,097
Leisure and hospitality 623 11,659 11.0% 502
Other Services 662 4,111 3.9% 975
Total 7,244 105,703 100.0% 1,291
Includes civilian employment only
HOURLY WAGE RATES
4
(2022)
Selected Occupations Median Entry Skilled
Accountants and Auditors $36.77 $24.77 $46.63
Assemblers and Fabricators $18.80 $14.50 $21.80
Bookkeeping Clerks $21.87 $16.32 $25.64
Network Support Specialists $36.51 $26.98 $43.91
Computer Systems Analysts $46.88 $28.02 $56.02
Computer User Support Specialists $24.77 $18.68 $29.40
Customer Service Representatives $18.04 $13.90 $21.52
Industrial Truck Operators $17.76 $14.02 $20.38
Information Security Analysts $52.48 $37.48 $71.11
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters $18.56 $15.60 $22.52
Laborers and Freight, Hand $16.05 $14.24 $19.00
Machinists $24.41 $20.13 $29.21
Maintenance Workers, Machinery $22.50 $17.32 $28.80
Mechanical Engineers $36.38 $27.55 $41.82
Packaging Operators and Tenders $15.22 $13.09 $17.16
Packers and Packagers, Hand $14.67 $13.11 $17.19
Secretaries and Admin Assistants $19.39 $15.16 $23.52
Shipping, Receiving Clerks $18.47 $14.69 $21.59
Stockers and Order Fillers $16.00 $12.97 $17.47
Packers and packagers hand $17.25 $13.35 $19.09
Secretaries $22.56 $16.07 $26.49
Shipping/receiving clerks $14.40 $14.12 $19.02
Stock clerks and order llers $14.56 $12.91 $18.02
Wages are an estimate of what workers might expect to receive in Frederick
County and may vary by industry, employer and locality
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
Brief Economic Facts
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
3,8
Educational Attainment - age 25 & over (2018-2022)
High school graduate or higher 93.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 43.6%
Public Schools
38 elementary; 13 middle/comb.; 10 high; career/tech 1,
charter 4
Enrollment: 47,681
Cost per pupil: $15,849
Students per teacher: 16
High school career / tech enrollment: 7,760
High school graduates: 3,297
Nonpublic Schools Number: 60
Higher Education (2023) Enrollment Degrees
2-year institution
Frederick Community College 5,837 1,050
4-year institutions
Hood College 2,056 451
Mount St. Mary's University 2,456 566
Several major universities are within an easy commute of the county.
TAX RATES
9
Frederick
County Maryland
Corporate Income Tax (2024) none 8.25%
Base – federal taxable income
Personal Income Tax (2024) 2.96% 2.0-5.75%
Base – federal adjusted gross income
*Graduated rate peaking at 5.75% on taxable income over $300,000
Sales & Use Tax (2024) none 6.0%
Exempt – sales for resale; manufacturer’s purchase of raw materials;
manufacturing machinery and equipment; purchases of materials and
equipment used in R&D and testing of nished products; purchases of
computer programs for reproduction or incorporation into another
computer program for resale
Real Property Tax (2024) $1.06 $0.1120
Effective rate per $100 of assessed value
IIn an incorporated area, a municipal rate will also apply
Business Personal Prop. Tax (2024) none none
Rate per $100 of depreciated value
No county personal property tax on ordinary business property $2.65/$100
applicable to utility operating property only In an incorporated area, a
municipal rate may apply; municipal exemptions may be available exemptions
may be available
Major Tax Credits Available
Enterprise Zone, Job Creation, More Jobs for Marylanders, R&D, New Jobs,
Biotechnology and Cybersecurity Investment, A&E District
INCOME
3
(2018-2022)
Percent Households
Distribution Frederick Co. Maryland U.S.
Under $25,000 7.6 11.6 15.7
$25,000 - $49,999 10 13.3 18.1
$50,000 - $74,999 12.8 13.6 16.1
$75,000 - $99,999 11.7 12.3 12.8
$100,000 - $149,999 21.9 19.3 17.1
$150,000 - $199,999 15 12.1 8.8
$200,000 and over 21 17.9 11.4
Median household $115,724 $98,461 $75,149
Average household $138,462 $129,642 $105,833
Per Capita $51,169 $49,865 $41,261
Total income (millions) $13,831 $300,526 $13,307,055
HOUSING
3,10
Occupied Units (2018-2022) 99,891 (76.4% owner occupied)
Housing Transactions (2023)
Units Sold 3,676
Median Selling Price $456,229
*All multiple listed properties excludes auctions and FSBO
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
6
Frederick County offers upscale biomanufacturing, research and
development, technology, ofce and advanced manufacturing
campuses with in-place amenities.
Frederick County Ofce of Economic Development (FCOED)
maintains a current inventory of available ofce, ex, industrial,
retail and land opportunities for businesses looking to start,
locate, expand, or share space. FCOED utilizes Costar,
a database of available sites and analytical data to assist
companies in determining the best location.
With 5 designated Opportunity Zones, 2 Enterprise Zones,
and a business incubator, businesses are taking advantage of the
resources and the strategic location Frederick County has to
offer.
Business Incubator
Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI), Frederick
Market Prole Data (2023) Low High Average
Land – cost per acre
Industrial $140,000 $750,000 $365,000
Commercial $70,000 $1,000,000 $465,000
Rental Rates – per square foot
Warehouse / Industrial $6.00 $22.50 $10.50
Flex / R&D / Technology $7.00 $35.00 $11.50
Class A Ofce $10.00 $35.00 $21.00
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
Brief Economic Facts
Business.Maryland.gov
FREDERICK COUNTY, MARYLAND
Brief Economic Facts
TRANSPORTATION
Highways: I-70, I-270, U.S. 15, U.S. 40 and U.S. 340
Mass Transit: MARC (commuter rail) service to Washington,
D.C. and Amtrak; public bus transportation throughout
Frederick City and connecting to other municipalities
Rail: CSX Transportation and Maryland Midland Railway (short
line service)
Truck: More than 70 local and long-distance trucking
establishments are located in the county
Water: Served by the Port of Baltimore, 50’ channel; a leading
U.S. automobile and break-bulk port; seven public terminals
including the state-of-the-art Intermodal Container Transfer
Facility
Air: Served by Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood
Marshall Airport (BWI) as well as Reagan Washington National
and Washington Dulles International Airports; Frederick
Municipal Airport offers jet and turboprop charter service and
ILS, VOR and GPS approaches; 2 runways with longest at 5,819’
RECREATION AND CULTURE
Parks: Cunningham Falls, Gambrill, Gathland, and Washington
Monument State Parks, Monocacy National Battleeld,
Sugarloaf Mountain, C&O Canal Towpath and Catoctin
Mountain Park.
Recreation and Leisure: Golng, shing, hiking, ice skating,
canoeing, swimming, orchard and winery tours, historic walking
and motorcoach tours, visual and performing arts, art galleries,
a zoological park, and minor league baseball.
Historical and Cultural: Schifferstadt Architectural Museum,
Francis Scott Key Monument and Grave, National Museum of
Civil War Medicine, Historical Society of Frederick County,
Delaplaine Arts Center, Weinberg Center for the Arts, Seton
Shrine Center, Grotto of Lourdes, Lily Pon Water Gardens,
Brunswick Railroad Museum, covered bridges and antique and
specialty shopping.
Arts & Entertainment District: Downtown Frederick
Events: Frederick’s In the Street Festival, Brunswick Railroad
Days, Candlelight Tour of homes, museums and historic houses
of worship, Beyond the Garden Gates Tour, Rose Hill Days,
Frederick Festival of the Arts, Maryland Christmas Show,
Catoctin Colorfest, the Great Frederick Fair, New Market
Days, Commemoration of the Battle of Monocacy, Myersville
Trolley Festival, Middletown Heritage Festival, Oktoberfest at
Schifferstadt, Annual Craft Fair and more.
UTILITIES
Electricity: Potomac Edison and Thurmont Municipal Light
Company; customers of investor-owned utilities and major
cooperatives may choose their electric supplier
Gas: Washington Gas; Baltimore Gas and Electric serves
Mount Airy; UGI Central Penn Gas serves Rocky Ridge and
Emmitsburg; customers may choose their gas supplier
Water and Sewer: Municipal water and sewer systems in
Brunswick, Emmitsburg, Frederick, Middletown, Mount
Airy, Myersville and Thurmont; municipal water systems in
Walkersville and Woodsboro; 18 county-operated water plants
and 15 sewage plants serve a wide geographical area
Telecommunications: Predominant local carrier - Verizon
Maryland; Comcast offers Xnity and Comcast Business;
Long distance carriers - AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and numerous
additional carriers, resellers and providers of WATS, MTS,
voice, paging systems, data, video networking, CATV, satellite
communications systems and other wireless systems; ISDN
digital switching and ber optics widely available
GOVERNMENT
County Seat: Frederick
Government: County executive and seven member county
council elected for four-year terms; charter form of
government allows for the separation of the executive from
the legislative branch; lawmaking powers are vested in an
elected legislative body
Jessica Fitzwater, County Executive 301.600.1100
Brad Young Pres., County Council 301.600.1135
Website: www.frederickcountymd.gov
Bond Rating: AAA (S&P); Aaa (Moody’s); AAA (Fitch)
Frederick County Ofce of Economic Development
Lara Fritts, Director, Division of Economic Opportunity
118 N. Market St., Suite 300
Frederick, Maryland 21701
Telephone: 301.600.1058
Toll Free: 1.800.248.2296 TDD: 301.600.1672
Email: info@discoverfrederickmd.com
www.discoverfrederickmd.com
Sources:
1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1981-2010 normals);
Maryland Geological Survey
2 American Community Survey
3 U.S. Bureau of the Census
4 Maryland Department of Labor, Ofce of Workforce Information and
Performance
5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
6 Frederick County Ofce of Economic Development
7 Maryland Department of Commerce
8 Maryland State Department of Education; Maryland Higher Education
Commission
9 Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation; Comptroller of the
Treasury
10 Maryland Association of Realtors
11 Maryland State Archives; Maryland Association of Counties
