It's the kind of statistic that makes politicians and economic development gurus cheer: Maryland ranked as the richest state in the nation last year, according to estimates released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The state's proximity to Washington's lucrative jobs, its abundance of workers with advanced degrees, and solid health and research opportunities in the Baltimore area continually keep Maryland at the peak of the economic charts, experts said.
"We are able to access a level of job opportunities that are simply not available to the balance of the nation," said Anirban Basu, chief executive of the Baltimore economic consulting firm Sage Policy Group Inc. "That doesn't mean that Maryland doesn't have some degree of impoverishment in rural areas and in Baltimore City. But what Maryland has that many states do not have is pockets of affluence."
Look no further than Howard County, with a median household income of $94,260 - the nation's third-wealthiest behind the Virginia counties of Fairfax and Loudoun. In Maryland, Howard came in first.
"Not to sound arrogant, but what would really be news for us is if we fell off the top," said Richard W. Story, chief executive of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. "We're used to being number one when it comes to median household income."
Statewide, Maryland became wealthier in the first half of the decade, with the median household income rising to $65,144 in 2006, from $63,973 in 2000, when adjusted for inflation. Demographers note that while Maryland took the top slot last year, its median income was not statistically different from New Jersey's at $64,470. Maryland's income was nearly three times that of the nation's poorest state - Mississippi.
The figures come from the American Community Survey, which, unlike the once-per-decade census, are an estimate rather than a true head count. The tally includes jurisdictions of 65,000 or more and, for the first time, includes people who live in group quarters, such as nursing homes, prisons and college dormitories.
Less poverty
Even areas with entrenched poverty experienced some improvement, according to figures. Baltimore, which consistently places among the nation's poorest jurisdictions of its size, showed a decrease in the percentage of people living in poverty from 22.9 in 2000 to 19.5 last year.
