Baltimore, MD · Hiring guide for 2026
Hiring in Greater Baltimore is shaped by Johns Hopkins and the region's health systems, by the Port of Baltimore, and by the cyber and intelligence agencies at Fort Meade. Careerscape is a national staffing agency whose recruiters specialize by industry and fill Baltimore roles remotely.
Ask who hires in Greater Baltimore and you get three answers. In the city, it's hospitals and universities: Johns Hopkins calls itself the largest private employer in Maryland, and the University of Maryland Medical System, MedStar and LifeBridge all run big Baltimore operations. On the water, it's the Port of Baltimore and the trucking, warehousing and rail work behind it. Down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, it's Fort Meade, home to the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.
Each of those had a hard stretch. The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, and its replacement is now targeted for late 2030. Johns Hopkins cut about 2,200 jobs in March 2025 after losing more than $800 million in USAID funding, most of them overseas. Federal cuts hit government payrolls too. Even so, education and health services still added jobs over the past year, and the port had a record year for ship visits and containers in 2025.
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By the numbers
Latest BLS data for the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area, which covers Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard and Queen Anne's counties. Figures are not seasonally adjusted.
Key Bridge and port timeline
The bridge collapse closed the shipping channel for weeks and took a piece of I-695 out of the region's commute. Here's the timeline employers and job seekers actually need, current as of October 2026.
The container ship Dali struck a pier and the bridge fell on March 26, 2024. Southeast I-695 is still closed between MD 173 and North Point Boulevard. Cross-harbor traffic uses the I-95 and I-895 tunnels, and hazmat trucks, which are barred from both tunnels, are routed around the western side of I-695.
The Army Corps of Engineers restored the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its full 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep on June 10, 2024, so large ships could reach the terminals again.
The port handled 2,223 cargo vessel visits, a record and up 21% from 2024. Seagirt Marine Terminal moved a record 1,113,309 container units (TEUs). Total cargo was about 50 million tons, the port's second-best year, and Baltimore again led U.S. ports in roll-on/roll-off farm and construction equipment.
CSX finished rebuilding the Howard Street Tunnel under the city in June 2026, which lets double-stacked container trains reach the port. The state expects it to add about 160,000 containers a year.
In November 2025 the Maryland Transportation Authority raised the estimate to $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion and moved opening to late 2030. In April 2026 it told its design-builder, Kiewit, that it would not be kept for the main construction phase because its proposal far exceeded state cost estimates; Kiewit is finishing foundation and work-platform jobs through at least the end of 2026. In May 2026 the MDTA split the rest into four contracts: demolition of the remaining structures (expected to start in fall 2026), the south and north land approaches, and a main span estimated at $3.5 billion to $4 billion.
The state aims to pick all four contractors by late spring 2027 and still targets the end of 2030 for opening, with bids deciding the final schedule. As those contracts are awarded, demand for civil and structural engineers, inspectors, project controls staff and skilled trades is likely to grow.
What's hiring
Employers named here are market context from public sources, not Careerscape clients. Job counts for employers come from Maryland Commerce county fact sheets (2023-2025); sector totals are BLS figures for September 2026 (preliminary).
Maryland Commerce lists Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System as Baltimore City's largest employer at 20,845, followed among health systems by the University of Maryland Medical System (11,450), MedStar Health (6,175) and LifeBridge Health (5,315). Nursing, allied health, revenue cycle and health IT roles follow that footprint.
Johns Hopkins University employs 18,600 in the city, and Maryland Commerce calls Johns Hopkins the largest recipient of federal research dollars in the country, which also leaves it exposed to federal research cuts. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel has 8,800+ staff. The University of Maryland BioPark and the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins host life-sciences companies.
Fort Meade reports more than 64,000 employees and 120+ partner agencies, including NSA, U.S. Cyber Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency. Across Route 295, the 500-acre National Business Park has 32 buildings totaling about 4.4 million square feet. Anne Arundel County's employer list also includes Northrop Grumman (10,700), Booz Allen Hamilton, Microsoft and RTX.
Maryland says more than 273,000 jobs statewide are tied to the port. Container and vessel counts hit records in 2025, yet metro trade, transportation and utilities employment, which also includes retail, fell 4.0% to 229,100. Amazon lists 4,500 fulfillment jobs in Baltimore City.
Mining, logging and construction rose 3.1% to 86,400 jobs, one of the metro's faster-growing sectors. The Key Bridge contracts, the port and hospital campuses keep engineers, project managers and trades in demand.
Government employment fell 1.3% to 235,000 and financial activities 1.3% to 77,300. Professional and business services held roughly flat at 252,900. Exelon and M&T Bank are among Baltimore City's larger employers outside health care.
Pay benchmarks
Median annual wages in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro from BLS's May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, via O*NET OnLine. Tech pay runs close to the DC metro but not level with it: information security analysts have a $148,950 median in the Washington metro against $138,170 here.
| Role | Median annual pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers | $138,900 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Information security analysts | $138,170 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Medical and health services managers | $124,990 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Network and computer systems administrators | $122,950 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Logisticians | $102,700 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Civil engineers | $100,500 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Registered nurses | $99,550 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Medical scientists | $88,980 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | $59,460 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
| Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | $57,930 | BLS OEWS via O*NET OnLine (U.S. DOL), May 2025 |
Medians cover all employers and experience levels, and BLS does not separate cleared from non-cleared pay. Maryland postings now have to show a range, so check those against these medians and the Careerscape 2026 Salary Guide.
Where the work is
Most Baltimore-area jobs sit in a band from Towson through downtown to BWI and Fort Meade. The Key Bridge gap matters most if you live or work on the east side of the harbor.
The core of the hospital and university economy: Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and its BioPark on the west side, plus large non-health employers such as Exelon and M&T Bank.
Dundalk Marine Terminal and Seagirt Marine Terminal sit on the harbor's east side. With the Key Bridge gone, trips from here to Anne Arundel County run through the harbor tunnels or around the western side of I-695.
The county seat and a mix of university, hospital and office employment just north of the city, linked to downtown by I-83 and Charles Street.
BWI Marshall Airport handles 600+ daily flights and has its own air cargo center and foreign-trade zone. Light rail, MARC and Amtrak connect it to Baltimore and Washington, which makes it a practical base for commuters in both directions.
Fort Meade and the National Business Park anchor cleared cyber, IT and engineering work. Columbia and Laurel, home to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, round out the Howard County side.
The state capital and home of the U.S. Naval Academy, with Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center among the county's larger employers.
For employers
Current as of October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Since October 1, 2024, Maryland postings for jobs done at least partly in the state must list a good-faith minimum and maximum, a general benefits description and other compensation such as bonuses or commissions. That covers internal postings and postings made through recruiters. Each location or level needs its own range, and compliance records must be kept for three years.
Since October 1, 2020, Maryland employers can't seek an applicant's wage history or use it to screen or set pay. If a candidate volunteers it, you can use it only after an initial offer, to raise or support that offer.
State law bars employers with 15 or more full-time employees from asking about criminal records before the first in-person interview; the state counts a live phone or video interview. Inside Baltimore City, employers with 10 or more employees can't ask or run a check until a conditional offer. Employers serving minors or vulnerable adults are exempt, which matters for many health providers.
For agreements signed on or after July 1, 2025, noncompetes are void for licensed health professionals who provide direct patient care and earn $350,000 or less. Above that, they're limited to one year and 10 miles. Maryland already voids noncompetes for anyone earning 150% of the minimum wage or less.
The state minimum wage is $15 an hour. Payroll contributions for Maryland's paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program start in January 2027, with benefits in 2028, so budget for it in 2027 offers.
Fort Meade-area roles often call for a clearance and sometimes a polygraph, and NSA's own hiring process includes one. Spell out the level, the polygraph type and whether you sponsor. Careerscape recruits cleared candidates from Secret through TS/SCI with CI or Full Scope polygraph.
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