These are the 20 best employers in Maryland, according to Forbes. The state's schools and hospitals ranked highly.
The best employer in Maryland is NASA, according to a new Forbes ranking released Thursday. The best employer in Maryland that is also headquartered in the state is the University of Maryland, the ranking said.
Forbes’ 2025 ranking of America’s Best Employers By State is based on surveys of more 169,000 employees who work for a company of at least 500 within the United States.
They were asked on a scale of zero to 10 how likely they were to recommend their current employer, and also evaluate their workplace on factors like wages, parity, work culture, and paths to professional advancement, and whether their employer takes action on serious issues, such as sexual harassment.
The survey, conducted by market research firm Statista, also asked respondents to evaluate other recent employers and organizations they knew through their industry or through family and friends who work there.
These are the top 10 employers that operate in Maryland. Some are based out of state. Their names are followed by their industry, headquarters location and year of founding.
Here are the top 20 employers that are headquartered in Maryland. Their rank among all employers operating statewide is listed along with their industry, headquarters location and year of founding.
4. University of Maryland - Education (College Park, 1858)
6. University of Maryland, Baltimore - Education (Baltimore, 1807)
13. Under Armour - Clothing, Shoes, Sports Equipment (Baltimore, 1996)
17. Towson University - Education (Towson, 1866)
19. Lockheed Martin - Aerospace & Defense (Bethesda, 1912)
20. University of Maryland Medical System - Healthcare & Social Services (Baltimore, 1807)
22. Johns Hopkins Medicine - Healthcare & Social Services (Baltimore, 1889)
23. Meritus Health - Healthcare & Social Services (Hagerstown, 1904)
24. Mercy Medical Center - Healthcare & Social Services (Baltimore, 1874)
25. The Community College of Baltimore County - Education (Baltimore, 1957)
26. Johns Hopkins University - Education (Baltimore, 1876)
30. Choice Hotels International - Travel & Leisure (Rockville, 1939)
31. Cecil County Public Schools - Education (Elkton, 1960)
32. McCormick - Food, Soft Beverages, Alcohol & Tobacco (Hunt Valley, 1889)
33. Marriott International - Travel & Leisure (Bethesda, 1927)
34. T Rowe Price - Banking and Financial Services (Baltimore, 1937)
36. Carroll County Public Schools - Education (Westminster, 1837)
38. Clark Construction - Construction, Chemicals, Raw Materials (Bethesda, 1906)
39. Kennedy Krieger Institute - Healthcare & Social Services (Baltimore, 1937)
40. Wicomico County Public Schools - Education (Salisbury, 1868)
The rankings are based on four years of survey data. Greater weight was given to the more recent data and to the responses from current employees within the state, Forbes said. Companies that received the highest scores in each state made Forbes’ final lists.
As in other years, companies in the health care, social services and education industries dominated the list. But employers from other industries were also prominent in multiple states, including retail giant Amazon (ranked in 33 states), transportation and logistics provider United Parcel Service (ranked in 25 states) and Bank of America (ranked in 25 states), according to Forbes.