WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County has led job growth in Maryland for five consecutive years now, adding 6,175 jobs between the third quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017, according to Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s quarterly jobs report.
That’s a job growth rate of 1.97 percent, more than double the 0.86 percent job growth rate for the entire state of Maryland.
Howard County ranked second over the same 12-month period, with a job growth rate of 1.27 percent.
Prince George’s County accounted for 27 percent of all new jobs from the second quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2017.
The top job markets in Prince George’s County have been government, information technology, professional and business services and construction.
Prince George’s County also started off the year with several big job wins.
In February, Giant Food announced it would relocate its headquarters from Pennsylvania back to Landover, 20 years after it relocated to Pennsylvania when it merged with Giant Martin’s. That relocation will bring more than 200 jobs to the county, including about 80 new hires.
Earlier this month, cybersecurity company ID Agent announced it would move its headquarters from the District to Bowie, Maryland.
And next month, FutureCare will open the first new free-standing rehabilitation facility in Prince George’s County in 20 years in Largo, bringing 220 new jobs.
Between the third quarter of 2017 and the third quarter of 2017, Maryland added 22,515 jobs, according to DLLR’s quarterly report.
Baltimore County had the weakest annual job growth rate in the state, at just 0.23 percent.
