About the Data

How many people work in Montgomery County? What is the size of the County’s biotech workforce? These are simple questions. Answers to questions about jobs, however, vary depending on where the data come from, the method of collection, and how the data are reported.

Understanding jobs data can be confusing. Statistics may be reported as at-place employment, covered employment, jobs capacity, journey-to-work, labor force, occupations or unemployment. They may be reported at the most aggregate level, industry-level, or establishment-level. All statistics may not be available for all geographies: nation, state, region, county and sub-county. These statistics may come from federal sources, state agencies, or county government. 

The Planning Department’s Research and Technology Center generates some of the jobs data for our County. Other jobs information comes from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, or the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.