Greater Baltimore remained 9th among the 20 metros for total employment. The rankings remain unchanged, although each metro area realized positive growth.

Manufacturing employment realized only slight decline in most of the 20 metro areas compared, with a few metros showing slight increases. Greater Baltimore dropped in manufacturing employment from 100,300 in 1997 to 98,000 in 1999.

As a percent of total employment, manufacturing 'declined' in each of the metros. However, most of this percentage "decline" is due to growth in other sectors while manufacturing remained relatively stagnant. For example, Minneapolis manufacturing employment actually grew by about 3,000 jobs from 1997 to 1999. However, as a percent of total employment, manufacturing employment "declined" in that region from 17 percent to 16.3 percent.

Greater Baltimore dropped from 13th to 14th place among the 20 metros for financial, insurance and real estate (FIRE) employment as a percent of total employment, going from 6.2 percent in 1997 to 6.1 percent in 1999. Most of the other metros realized slight gains in FIRE concentration.

Baltimore remained 5th among the 20 metros and well above the U.S. average for service employment. In 1999, the region had 34.5 percent of its jobs in service industries.

High tech employment represents a new ranking for 2000. Among the 20 metros, Greater Baltimore ranks 15th with total high tech employment at 38,138. Boston, Dallas, Washington and Atlanta each rank among the top 10 nationally for high tech employment while Greater Baltimore ranks 33rd nationally.

Greater Baltimore ranks 17th among the 20 metros, and 98th nationally, for high tech employment concentration. High tech accounts for 3.2 percent of the region's employment.

Data for women and minority-owned firms has not been updated since 1992, so data and rankings remain the same as in the1998 report.

EMPLOYMENT AND JOB GROWTH CHARTS

• Total Non-Farm Employment, 1997 and 1999
• Manufacturing Employment as a Percent of Total Non-Farm Employment, 1997 and 1999
• Manufacturing Employment, 1997 and 1999
• Finance, Insurance and Real Estate Employment, as a Percent of Total Non-Farm Employment, 1997 and 1999
• Service as a % of Total Non-Farm Employment
• Wholesale and Retail Trade Employment as a Percent of Total Non-Farm Employment,
  1997 and 1999
• Government Employment as a Percent of Total Non-Farm Employment, 1997 and 1999
• Women-Owned Firms as a Percent of Total Firms, 1992
• Minority-Owned Firms as a Percent of Total Firms, 1992
• High Tech Employment, 1998
• High-Tech Employment as a Percent of Total Employment
• High Tech Metropolitan Output by High-Tech Output
• Gross Metropolitan Product