town of mount airy - Maryland Department of Planning

Overall, the number and type of jobs being created in the community does not serve the
resident or surrounding population with employment opportunities. According to the
Census Bureau, over 90% of the town's working population still commutes out of
Frederick and Carroll Counties to work. The Census data indicates that professional and
technical workers increasingly represent the current workforce in the Town. However,
the types of jobs offered in Mount Airy are mostly service and trade oriented. This trend
dictates that the majority of the workforce living in Mount Airy will continue to commute
out of the immediate area for work. Although the town itself will continue to grow with a
wider variety of businesses, it does not currently have the size or the economic base to
become a "regional employment center", providing a wide range of professional and
technical job opportunities for the resident population.
The job opportunities within the immediate area have grown considerably and are located
primarily in Frederick City and surrounding area. The City of Westminster and its
surrounding area have provided some employment opportunities for local residents.
Following is a chart prepared by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
in April of 1998, which specifies employment estimates and projections for the counties
surrounding the Town of Mount Airy.
Employment Projections
2000- 2020
(Jobs in Thousands)
Jurisdiction 2000 2010 2020 2000- 2020
Frederick Co., MD 99.7 115.7 122.0 + 22%
Carroll Co., MD 62.7 69.8 73.1 +17%
Howard Co., MD 141.9 164.1 181.7 +28%
Montgomery Co., MD 573.0 664.2 696.4 +21%
Washington Co., MD 71.5 78.1 80.2 +12%
Loudoun Co., VA 72.7 112.7 152.7 +110%
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Source: Maryland Office of Planning, 2/1998.
As long as a disparity exists in the town and the surrounding region, between the types of
jobs provided and the types of jobs needed by the resident workforce, commuting patterns
and problems in the area will remain an issue. The majority of out-commuters have also
remained high in both Frederick and Carroll Counties, despite the increase in professional
and technical jobs in the last ten years in those counties. The greater work place
opportunities still remain in the counties surrounding Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.
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