Maryland adds 12K jobs in July, unemployment rate ticks below 4%, officials say

BALTIMORE -- Maryland added 12,000 jobs last month and the state's unemployment rate dipped below 4%, the lowest it's been since the start of the pandemic, the Maryland Department of Labor said Friday.

Since July 2021, 78,600 jobs positions have been added in the state, the agency said. 

Maryland's 3.9% unemployment rate is tied with California and Ohio for the 38th lowest in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Minnesota, at 1.8%, tops the list and is the only state below 2%.

Three others -- New Hampshire, Nebraska and Utah -- are sitting right at 2%.

The state labor department said the business services sector gained 4,700 workers last month, followed by manufacturing (1,000 jobs), education (900 jobs) and IT (400 jobs).

Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised preliminary figures from May upward, saying the Maryland workforce added an additional 2,900 people -- up from the initial estimate of 1,500, state officials said.

Since the start of the year, Maryland has added 44,000 jobs.