NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Metro Market Score 58.6 (Challenging), ranked #267 of 330 metros. 3,564 establishments, 20,626 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for real estate and rental and leasing in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson are tougher than average. The 58.6 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, mixed growth signals, and an already crowded field. Rank: #267 of 330 metros.

Industry Concentration

74.5

LQ: 0.98

Rank #246 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

94.5

$80,630 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 56.1

Employment growth index

Rank #146 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

15.8

YoY wage change index

3,564 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

3,564

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

20,626

Total Employment

+1.1% YoY

$80,630

Average Annual Wage

+2.6% YoY

0.98

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Maryland

#4 of 4

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

Maryland state rank

#42 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

+6.6

worse than median (52.0)

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs Maryland Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to Maryland overall. The state ranks #42/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson	MD Statewide
Overall Score	58.6 Challenging	50.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#267 of 330 metros	#42 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Accommodation and Food Services 45.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 47.8 Retail Trade 48.9 Construction 61.5 Administrative and Support Services 61.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 63.3 Finance and Insurance 72.8

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other Maryland Metros

Lexington Park 35.6 #103/330 Hagerstown-Martinsburg 49.2 #212/330 Salisbury 52.0 #230/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's 58.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lake Charles, LA 58.2 #266/330 Cleveland, OH 58.1 #265/330 Spartanburg, SC 58.0 #264/330 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 58.0 #263/330 Champaign-Urbana, IL 59.2 #268/330 Wildwood-The Villages, FL 59.2 #269/330 Greensboro-High Point, NC 58.0 #262/330 Pittsburgh, PA 59.5 #270/330 Trenton-Princeton, NJ 59.5 #271/330 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 59.5 #272/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering Maryland

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Pennsylvania 24.5 #1/51 Virginia 35.6 #17/51 District of Columbia 38.5 #24/51 West Virginia 40.6 #27/51 Delaware 53.2 #47/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's real estate and rental and leasing sector, the wage competitiveness component (94.5) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment