The Greater Baltimore State of the Region 2000 Report examines the relative health and economic performance of our region as compared to a select group of metropolitan economies throughout the United States.

This report is a follow-up to the 1998 Greater Baltimore State of the Region Report. It is a joint initiative between the Greater Baltimore Committee, the regions business leadership organization, and the Greater Baltimore Alliance (GBA), the regions public-private economic development organization. It was compiled with counsel and input from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). This report offers baseline and follow-up information on key measurements of the regions economic health and business climate. Its purpose is to provide an objective look at our regions competitive advantages and challenges as we work to develop regional strategies for competitive success in the national and global economies.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census definition of the Baltimore Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) is adopted in this report, and identifies Greater Baltimore as Baltimore City, and the surrounding counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard and Queen Annes. The terms metropolitan area and region are used interchangeably throughout this report.

The most up-to-date, nationally published data and information sources covering metropolitan regions have been used in this report. The results set the stage for answering some key questions about our community. How does Greater Baltimore compare to other regions as a place to live, work and operate a business? What does the data indicate about our current competitive status and our future prospects? Is Greater Baltimore well-positioned to participate fully and competitively in the present and future economy?

Metropolitan regions have emerged as the drivers of the global economy. Metropolitan regions occupy only one-sixth of the land in the U.S. However, the 318 metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. contain 80 percent of the population and represent 85 percent of total U.S. nominal personal income, according to 1998 U. S. Department of Commerce data. Eight of ten new jobs created between 1992 and 1997 were in metropolitan areas, and wages and benefits are almost 50 percent higher in metropolitan regions than outside of them.

The Greater Baltimore State of the Region 2000 Report tells us how the region as a whole is doing. We are more accustomed to seeing statistics for the State of Maryland or for individual jurisdictions. The GBC and the GBA believe that looking at measures of our condition and competitiveness as a region enables us to better understand our resources and assets, as well as to identify the problems that we need to address. It is also clear that others see us as a region rather than as a series of separate governments.

Selecting Regions for Comparison

In 1998, to begin the research process we selected 20 metropolitan regions (including Baltimore) from across the country in order to compare a wide variety of factors that relate to the economy and quality of life. The selected metropolitan areas include some of the fastest growing, most dynamic regions in the U.S., along with some older metropolitan areas that are going through economic transition. They include:

• Regional competitors: Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.
  
  
• Fast growing employment hubs: Atlanta, Dallas, and Charlotte
  
  
• Known high-tech regions: Austin, Boston, Raleigh-Durham, and Seattle
  
  
• Areas known for having progressive policies to promote regionalism: Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Portland
  
  
• Older regions in transition: Cleveland and St. Louis
  
  
• Western metropolitan areas: Denver and San Diego
  
  
• Southern metropolitan areas known for positive business climates and strength in a particular targeted business sector: Tampa (finance) and Greenville-Spartanburg (manufacturing)
  

Many other regions met our criteria, but the final list was determined to be a representative and diverse national sample. The largest U.S. metropolitan areas, such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, were not included because their size would dramatically skew the comparison.

We selected indicators based upon the advice of business leaders in the region, the experience of other communities that have undertaken similar efforts, and the availability of data. Not all the desired indicators were available. In addition, some important factors cannot be readily measured. We have used the most current statistics available, but some of the data is not revised regularly. Even with these limitations, the GBC and the GBA believe that measuring these indicators in the Greater Baltimore State of the Region 2000 Report is an important step toward a better understanding of the challenges and the opportunities we face in striving to be the healthiest and most competitive region that we can be.

This report presents a set of indicators published by credible third parties that are important to gauge the health and performance of urban regions. The indicators do not tell us why something is the way it is, nor do they provide a detailed explanation of the condition we are examining. We must decide what significance to attach to the numbers. The ultimate value of the indicators, and the report as a whole, will come from what actions we as a community decide to take in response to our assessments of them.

The Greater Baltimore State of the Region 2000 Report brings together the goals and interests of the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Greater Baltimore Alliance. The two organizations share the belief that strengthening regional ties and collaboration will benefit the entire region. The information provides a basis for the GBCs public policy initiatives to strengthen the regions business climate. For instance, the regions 1998 ranking in total crime and violent crime prompted the Greater Baltimore Committee in 1999 to make crime reduction a top priority. The GBC successfully campaigned for development of public strategies to reduce violent crime by 50 percent by 2002 and raised more than $500,000 to fund elements of those strategies.

Information in the State of the Region Report is used by the GBA to develop the competitiveness strategies it employs in its business retention, attraction and marketing programs. Meanwhile, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies plays a leading role in framing and exploring research questions that these findings reveal.

The data in this report was compiled by the Greater Baltimore Alliance and reviewed by a team of staff professionals from the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Greater Baltimore Alliance and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies. McDearman & Associates also provided data analysis and assisted in drafting the State of the Region Report 2000.