U.S. News & World Report ranked Maryland the sixth-best state in the nation, citing its status as an "aerospace and defense hot spot."
Home to the National Institutes of Health, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and major defense contractors, the state’s economy is boosted not only by information technology, telecommunications, aerospace and defense companies but also by over 60 federal agencies.
The state is known for health care and biotechnology, and is home to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. With its proximity to the nation’s capital, Maryland also is home to many federal workers who commute daily to Washington, D.C.
Johns Hopkins University and the United States Naval Academy are both located in the state.