So just how have these 33 largest Maryland Companies done on the earnings front before, during and after the 2008 financial meltdown? Just absolutely off-the-charts earnings improvement.
The 2014 Total Audited Net Income from Continuing Operations of these 33 largest Maryland Companies was $11.352 bil, an increase of an exceptionally off-the-charts 2100% over the $0.516 bil comparable Total Earnings generated by these same companies in their 2008 fiscal year ends.
So if the question to answer is how much better off are these largest Maryland Companies now than they were during their 2008 financial meltdown fiscal years, the answer is 21 times better, or more than $10 bil better, as audited earnings under US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) are measured by the very prestigious US accounting profession.
There has been something upwardly explosive happening with the Audited Earnings of Maryland Companies and among others, President Obama, Maryland Free and Fair Trade US Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland US Senator Barb Mikulski, Maryland Exceptional US House Democratic Members Elijah Cummings, John Delaney, Donna Edwards, Chris Van Hollen, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and the US Fed have all undoubtedly helped here.
Below here are the reported US GAAP Audited Net Income (Losses) of each of these 33 largest Maryland Companies for all of their fiscal years from 2008 through 2014:
| 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009 | 2009 | 2008 | |||
| 2014 | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | ||
| Most | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | ||
| Recent | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | ||
| FYE | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | ||
| Maryland Company | HQs | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | |
| Lockheed Martin | Bethesda | Dec | 3,614 | 2,950 | 2,745 | 2,667 | 2,614 | 2,967 | 3,217 |
| T Rowe Price Group | Baltimore | Dec | 1,230 | 1,048 | 884 | 773 | 672 | 434 | 491 |
| Discovery Communications | Silver Spring | Dec | 1,137 | 1,077 | 956 | 1,134 | 647 | 570 | 404 |
| Marriott Intl | Bethesda | Dec | 753 | 626 | 571 | 198 | 458 | (353) | 344 |
| Host Hotels & Resorts | Bethesda | Dec | 747 | 210 | (8) | (12) | (128) | (197) | 382 |
| American Capital | Bethesda | Dec | 434 | 184 | 1,136 | 974 | 998 | (910) | (3,115) |
| Colfax | Fulton | Dec | 420 | 209 | (42) | 5 | 16 | 24 | 1 |
| McCormick & Co | Sparks | Nov | 409 | 366 | 386 | 349 | 345 | 284 | 256 |
| United Therapeutics | Silver Spring | Dec | 340 | 175 | 304 | 217 | 111 | 19 | (50) |
| WR Grace | Columbia | Dec | 277 | 258 | 41 | 269 | 207 | 81 | 137 |
| Legg Mason | Baltimore | Mar 15 | 243 | 282 | (360) | 231 | 246 | 211 | (1,965) |
| Omega Healthcare Investors | Hunt Valley | Dec | 221 | 173 | 121 | 53 | 58 | 82 | 78 |
| Sinclair Broadcast Group | Hunt Valley | Dec | 215 | 64 | 144 | 77 | 76 | (138) | (249) |
| LaSalle Hotel Properties | Bethesda | Dec | 213 | 90 | 72 | 43 | 3 | 6 | 31 |
| Under Armour | Baltimore | Dec | 208 | 162 | 129 | 97 | 68 | 47 | 38 |
| MICROS Systems | Columbia | Jun | 182 | 172 | 167 | 145 | 115 | 98 | 102 |
| Federal Realty Investment Trust | Rockville | Dec | 168 | 138 | 143 | 132 | 126 | 101 | 120 |
| Diamondrock Hospitality | Bethesda | Dec | 163 | 24 | (18) | (8) | (11) | (10) | 48 |
| RLJ Lodging Trust | Bethesda | Dec | 136 | 107 | 43 | (10) | (42) | (125) | (28) |
| U. S. Silica Holdings | Frederick | Dec | 122 | 75 | 79 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| Choice Hotels Intl | Rockville | Dec | 121 | 113 | 121 | 110 | 107 | 98 | 100 |
| Pebblebrook Hotel Trust | Bethesda | Dec | 74 | 43 | 27 | 15 | (7) | - | - |
| Inovalan Holdings | Bowie | Dec | 65 | 33 | 55 | 25 | |||
| Chesapeake Lodging Trust | Annapolis | Dec | 61 | 45 | 27 | 9 | (1) | - | - |
| Saul Centers | Bethesda | Dec | 58 | 35 | 35 | 30 | 40 | 43 | 48 |
| Eagle Bancorp | Bethesda | Dec | 54 | 47 | 35 | 25 | 17 | 10 | 7 |
| Emergent BioSolutions | Rockville | Dec | 37 | 30 | 18 | 16 | 47 | 27 | 20 |
| Corporate Office Properties Trust | Columbia | Dec | 35 | 37 | 8 | (113) | 37 | 55 | 54 |
| Broadsoft | Gaithersburg | Dec | 1 | (9) | 12 | 32 | 8 | (8) | (11) |
| 2U, Inc | Landover | Dec | (29) | (28) | (23) | (25) | |||
| Ciena Corp | Hanover | Oct | (41) | (85) | (144) | (196) | (334) | (581) | 39 |
| Novavax | Rockville | Dec | (83) | (52) | (29) | (19) | (36) | (40) | (35) |
| American Capital Agency | Bethesda | Dec | (233) | 1,259 | 1,277 | 770 | 288 | 119 | 35 |
| Total all 33 | 11,352 | 9,858 | 8,912 | 8,043 | 6,756 | 2,920 | 516 | ||
| 2014 Earnings Increase Over 2008: | |||||||||
| ….. Amount | 10,836 | ||||||||
| ….. Percentage | 2100% | ||||||||
| 2014 Earnings % Increase Over 2013 | 15% |
On the job front, the US Bureau of Labor reported that the unemployment rate for the State of Maryland has dropped from 7.8% in February 2010 to 5.3% in the most recently reported April 2015.
