Maryland jobs grew in June, but transportation and manufacturing employment declined

Maryland added an estimated 900 nonfarm jobs in June, but the modest statewide gain masked sharp differences among industries. Transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 1,900 jobs, while manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade also declined.

The estimates, released July 21 by the Maryland Department of Labor from preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics data, show an uneven labor-market recovery for workers and employers across the state. BLS revised May’s preliminary gain downward by 1,100 jobs, from 5,100 to 4,000.

First-half growth outpaced the nation

Maryland added an estimated 17,800 jobs during the first six months of 2026. That represented employment growth of 0.64%, compared with 0.35% nationally, according to the state labor department.

Total nonfarm employment reached 2.8039 million jobs in June, up from 2.7949 million in January, according to the BLS Maryland employment table. The increase over that period was 9,000 jobs. The June payroll estimate is preliminary and can be revised in later releases.

Maryland’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.3% in June, compared with 4.2% nationally. The state’s labor-force participation rate held at 63.9%, above the national rate of 61.5%. The unemployment rate measures people without jobs who are seeking work. Payroll employment counts jobs reported by employers, while labor-force participation measures the share of the civilian population working or seeking work. The indicators therefore describe different parts of the labor market.

Government, education and health care led June gains

The largest estimated June gains were spread across public and private service sectors:

• State and local government added 1,000 jobs.
• Private educational services added 1,100 jobs.
• Professional, scientific and technical services added 1,100 jobs.
• Federal government added 300 jobs.
• Other services added 600 jobs.
• Health care and social assistance added 600 jobs.

The broader BLS series for educational and health services rose from 505,400 jobs in January to 513,900 in June. Government employment rose from 523,100 to 526,600 over the same period. Those figures show where employment expanded during the first half of the year, but they do not show whether workers received higher pay, found full-time positions or moved from shrinking industries.

Transportation and manufacturing contracted

Transportation, warehousing and utilities recorded the largest June decline, losing an estimated 1,900 jobs. Manufacturing fell by 700 jobs, retail trade by 600, wholesale trade by 400, and administrative and support services, including waste management and remediation, by 400.

The BLS table places Maryland’s combined trade, transportation and utilities employment at 450,100 in June, down from 455,300 in January. Manufacturing employment was 110,200 in June, compared with 110,700 in January.

Those estimates can show where employment was expanding or contracting, but they do not establish why a sector changed. The data do not show that the reported transportation or manufacturing losses were caused by federal job reductions, nor do they establish that gains in government or professional services replaced particular lost positions.

What workers and employers should watch

For workers and job seekers, the statewide totals point to opportunities concentrated unevenly across industries. Health care, education, government and professional services added jobs in June, while transportation-related industries, manufacturing and retail moved in the opposite direction.

For employers, the figures provide a broad measure of hiring and contraction, not a count of every open position or layoff. Individual employer notices in Maryland’s WARN log are separate filings and should not be treated as a complete explanation of statewide employment trends.

The next Maryland employment release, covering July data, is scheduled for Aug. 21, 2026. Until then, the June payroll and labor-force estimates remain subject to revision.

Sources

• Maryland Department of Labor: June employment release
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Maryland employment and labor-force data

Look for updates to this story

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