The Capital Region Area Ranks 14th on Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index
The Capital Region which includes Montgomery County, Maryland, ranked 14th among 1,000 cities worldwide, placing it among the top 20 highest-ranked U.S. cities in the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index.
The Index evaluates cities across five categories: economics, human capital (talent), quality of life, environment, and governance. Additionally, the Capital Region ranked 10th for human capital, reflecting the region’s highly educated workforce.
Montgomery County, Maryland, plays an important role in the region’s economy, with its strategic location that is home to 18 federal agency headquarters, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and 36 federal laboratories, established global companies across all industries, including Marriott International, AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and X-energy, as well as a deep pool of highly-specialized talent.
In fact, talent is one of Montgomery County’s greatest competitive advantages. 33 percent of residents aged 25 or older hold an advanced degree, and the County has 25 times the national average concentration of employees in Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media—skills that underpin critical capabilities such as imaging, sensing, data transmission, and advanced hardware systems that enable satellite and communications technologies.
The Anchor of the 3rd Largest Biopharma Cluster in the Nation
As the birthplace of the Human Genome Project, one of the most influential scientific endeavors in history, Montgomery County is home to over 350 companies pioneering groundbreaking discoveries spanning biopharmaceuticals, cell and gene therapy, diagnostics, and advanced manufacturing.
Montgomery County’s diverse business ecosystem is also a thriving hub for companies in clean energy, quantum, and AI, as well as the Space & Defense industry, including Thales DSI, Lockheed Martin, and Forterra which are all headquartered here.
