24/7 Wall St. Insights

• With nearly 2.6 million people on payroll, the Department of Defense is one of the largest employers in the world. 
• While DOD employees, including civilians and active-duty service members, are spread across the 50 states, a disproportionate share of defense workers are concentrated in a handful of Maryland communities.
• Also: Discover the next Nvidia

The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest — and one of the best funded — agencies in the federal government. Headquartered at the Pentagon, the DOD employs nearly 2.6 million people and has an annual budget of more than $870 billion.

There are thousands of DOD employees, including both civilians and active-duty service members, stationed in each of the 50 states. But, perhaps not surprisingly, many of the places that have emerged as U.S. military hubs are within commuting distance of the DOD’s nerve center in northern Virginia.

According to Defense Spending by State, a recent report from the DOD, approximately 93,400 national defense personnel were stationed in Maryland alone in fiscal 2023 — more than in all but a handful of other states. The largest share of department employees in the state — 51.3% — are civilian employees. An additional 29.6% are active-duty troops, 12.5% are reservists, and 6.6% are in the National Guard. (Here is a look at the states with the most armed forces personnel.)

The largest DOD service branches in the state by total employment, including civilians and reservists, are the Army with about 33,900 employees, followed by the Navy and Marine Corps with a total of 33,900 personnel. The Air Force and Space Force also collectively have about 15,300 people in the state on payroll, and another 10,400 Maryland residents work in other areas of national defense.

Just as Maryland stands out as a critical state for the U.S. military, there are certain parts of the state where the DOD’s presence is especially concentrated. Due in part to major military installations — including Fort George G. Meade and the United States Naval Academy — there are multiple counties and independent cities in Maryland that are each home to several thousand Defense Department employees. In one Maryland county, the DOD has more personnel than 22 entire states. In this single county, the DOD spent nearly $2.2 billion on payroll alone in fiscal 2023. (Here is a look at the newest American military bases.)

These are the 10 counties and county equivalents in Maryland with the most military and civilian Defense Department personnel. All data in this story was compiled by the DOD and is current as of fiscal 2023. Counties for which personnel data was not disclosed were excluded from analysis.

Why it Matters

A significant share of the Pentagon’s budget goes to payroll for the 2.6 million American men and women who work for the national defense. In fiscal 2023 alone, the Department of Defense spent over $167.4 billion on employee salaries and wages. While this money is spread across the 50 states, it has an outsized impact in places that have emerged as hubs for U.S. military operations.

10. Allegany County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 1,107 (1.2% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 983 (3.6% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 0 (0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 113 (1.0% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 11 (0.0% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $94,685,164 (1.1% of DOD payroll statewide)

9. Baltimore City

• Total Defense Department personnel: 2,628 (2.8% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 125 (0.5% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 364 (5.9% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 1,103 (9.4% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 1,036 (2.2% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $159,863,026 (1.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

8. Baltimore County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 3,181 (3.4% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 96 (0.3% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 2,245 (36.6% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 450 (3.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 390 (0.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $129,438,438 (1.5% of DOD payroll statewide)

7. Frederick County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 3,618 (3.9% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 1,081 (3.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 79 (1.3% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 170 (1.5% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,288 (4.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $356,255,396 (4.1% of DOD payroll statewide)

6. Charles County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 3,950 (4.2% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 518 (1.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 93 (1.5% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 834 (7.1% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 2,505 (5.2% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $336,574,732 (3.9% of DOD payroll statewide)

5. Montgomery County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 11,482 (12.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,405 (15.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 86 (1.4% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 583 (5.0% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 6,408 (13.4% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,231,505,873 (14.1% of DOD payroll statewide)

4. St. Mary’s County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 12,431 (13.3% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 2,163 (7.8% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 60 (1.0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 18 (0.2% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 10,190 (21.3% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,450,239,077 (16.6% of DOD payroll statewide)

3. Harford County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 13,167 (14.1% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 801 (2.9% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 965 (15.7% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 565 (4.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 10,836 (22.6% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,444,121,475 (16.6% of DOD payroll statewide)

2. Prince George’s County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 14,644 (15.7% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 4,654 (16.8% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 989 (16.1% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 4,242 (36.3% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 4,759 (9.9% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $1,203,254,130 (13.8% of DOD payroll statewide)

1. Anne Arundel County

• Total Defense Department personnel: 25,291 (27.1% of DOD personnel statewide)
• Active-duty personnel: 12,273 (44.4% of active-duty personnel statewide)
• National Guard personnel: 430 (7.0% of National Guard personnel statewide)
• Reservist personnel: 3,600 (30.8% of reservist personnel statewide)
• Civilian DOD personnel: 8,988 (18.8% of civilian personnel statewide)
• Total Defense Department payroll: $2,198,814,584 (25.2% of DOD payroll statewide)

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