Market Research in Maryland
Maryland is strategically situated in the highly populated Boston-DC North East Corridor. The state is home to Baltimore, the largest port city in the Washington DC area.
The area also attracts large governmental agencies, defense contractors and other companies supporting the Federal Government. In addition, the state has other strategic industry clusters, such as in the Healthcare and Life Sciences industries.
Baltimore is the chief city in Maryland for Market Research testing, and we often conduct Focus Groups there. We also conduct Healthcare market research in Maryland in cities such as Gaithersburg. Our respondent database is sizeable in Maryland particularly in Baltimore and in the Washington DC metro area.
Geography
Maryland’s exceptional beauty, fertility, and economic vitality are packed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Maryland Mountains. White sand beaches where wild horses roam line its Eastern Shore. Cypress, marshes, and wildlife sanctuaries surround the Chesapeake Bay. Thoroughbred horses graze on bright green grasses that cover soft sloping hills. And, forests loom on the mountain sides.
Education and Affluent population
Each geographic sector contributes to a vibrant economy producing jobs and GDP. A highly educated workforce profiles as the second highest concentration of professional services and technical workers among all states. The state also has a sizable population of affluent consumers. Many residents work in agriculture and fishing industries, aerospace and defense, life- and bio-sciences, and manufacturing.
Agriculture and Fishing Industries
Two million of Maryland’s acres are agricultural. Livestock and poultry account for $1.2 billion in products sold, and crops and grains produce $1.05 billion.
The Chesapeake Bay has been a rich resource throughout Maryland’s history. The states that touch the bay have committed to initiatives to clean and protect the bay’s waters.
The Chesapeake Bay impacts contiguous states with a total estimated value of $1 trillion in fishing, tourism, shipping, and property values. Commercial seafood alone contributes $2 billion in sales and over 41,000 jobs. Maryland’s fabled Blue Crab harvest pumps $600 million into the economy.
Aerospace and Defense Industries
These industries support 41,710 jobs in Maryland. That represents $9.7 billion in output and $3.4 billion in wages. That puts the state first in total federal R&D spending at $16.8 billion.
Fort Meade employees 54,000 in intelligence. Aberdeen Proving Ground is a 21,000-person military installation, and Joint Base Andrews Naval Air supports 17,500 service people and staff. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman employee over 14,000. And, there are also Fort Detrick, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
That means total wages near $15 billion, an average salary of $110,000 plus, and a GDP of $33.3 billion. With the work heavily involved in security and electronics R&D, the sector it stable and growing.
Shipping and Transportation
Baltimore is a major shipping port, particularly for the Washington DC metropolitan area, and the city has BWI airport through which over 25 million passengers pass through every year.
Life- and Bio-Sciences Industries
With John Hopkins Hospital, a gold star hospital in care and teaching, Maryland’s major universities, hospitals, and federal facilities lead the U.S. in life sciences research.
Life- and Bio-Science employers cluster around Baltimore and along the corridor to Washington, D.C. The bio-science sector includes drugs and pharmaceuticals, research and development, and medical devices and equipment, and all which generate needs in information technology, professional services, and manufacturing and construction.
Venture capital financing continues to drive Maryland’s bio-science opportunities. New bio-tech office parks near Baltimore and research facilities in suburbs near D.C. house growing ventures and startup incubators.
Manufacturing industries
Revisiting the history of the Port of Baltimore, the area still harbors Bethlehem Shipbuilding and Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. Elsewhere, Maryland is home to Black & Decker, Lockheed Martin, Martin Marietta, Fischer Motor Company, and a line of steel and ironworks.
Traditionally, Maryland’s manufacturing has revolved around hard metals with little production exported. But, strong initiatives promote Advanced Manufacturing that coordinates automation, computation, information, networking, and software. It uses cutting edge materials and embraces emerging capabilities like nanotechnology.