Nonprofit Sector Continues to Grow, Despite Recession

BALTIMORE, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2010 Nonprofits by the Numbers report by Maryland Nonprofits shows that nonprofit organizations in Maryland continued to add jobs in 2009, despite the recession.  Nonprofit employment grew 2% in 2009, compared to a statewide drop in total employment of 3.2%.  Nonprofits sustained the growth trend throughout the last five years delivering a robust 9.5% nonprofit employment growth, or 22,205 new jobs in Maryland from 2004-2009, while total employment contracted from 2004-2009 by 2.1% in the same period.  Nonprofits in Maryland employ 255,408 people or 10.6% of the state's workforce, and account for 10% of all wages paid statewide.  This is up from 9.5% of the workforce and 8.6% of wages in 2004.  An early look at the first six months of 2010 employment data indicates that the growth trend continued and accelerated last year, as well.

"This is a remarkable story of nonprofit resilience in the face of the worst economic recession in our lifetimes," said Darryl A. Jones, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Maryland Nonprofits.  "As the State addresses major budget shortfalls and the need to create jobs, clearly this report demonstrates how Maryland's nonprofit sector is a critical part of our economy."

Nonprofits by the Numbers is published annually by Maryland Nonprofits as a service to the public.  The 2010 report shows that new nonprofits continue to be created, with 1,726 new nonprofits registered in the past year, a rate of 7% annual growth.  Still, most nonprofits are very small, with 68% of nonprofits below $25,000 in annual revenue.  Nonprofits of all sizes grew during 2009 and over the past 5 years.  The largest nonprofits, those over $5m in revenue, grew the fastest with 9% growth in 2010 and 27% growth over five years for a current total of 782 large nonprofit organizations across the state.  

Nonprofits in the human services field (including public safety, employment, food and nutrition, housing and shelter, recreation and youth development) had the highest rate of growth in the number of nonprofits, at 31%. Education had the second highest growth rate, at 26%.  The smallest rate of growth (2%) was in the number of nonprofits focusing on the environment and animals.

Nonprofits by the Numbers also includes a county by county analysis.  Nonprofit employment in Baltimore City is particularly notable, accounting for 26% of all jobs in Baltimore, followed by Kent County where 21% of all jobs are with nonprofit organizations.  The counties that saw the greatest growth in nonprofits from 2004-2009 are Dorchester (42%) and Worchester (35%).  

Maryland Nonprofits is a membership association that works to better our communities by strengthening, educating, and engaging the nonprofit organizations that serve them.  It has over 1,500 member organizations across the state, and 23 staff to serve them from two locations in Baltimore and Silver Spring.  For more information, or to download a copy of the report, visit www.marylandnonprofits.org.  

SOURCE Maryland Nonprofits