Life sciences are big business in Frederick.
How big?
They have an economic impact of $12 billion, according to the industry profile produced by the county.
The International Economic Development Council recognized the county's Office of Economic Development with the 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Gold Level award, on Thursday, for its profile of the many facets of life sciences in Frederick.
"This piece is meant to showcase the industry that's already located here and tell the story of why this industry is succeeding and why other businesses would want to start, locate or expand in Frederick County," said Britt Swartzlander, communication manager of the Office of Economic Development.
Aside from the economic impact figure, Swartzlander said she was proud of how the breadth of the industry was presented, exemplified by the more than 130 companies in the space.
The profile lists the largest life sciences employers in the county as:
* Leidos Biomedical Research/Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, with more than 2,400 employees
* Thermo Fisher Scientific, more than 750 employees
* AstraZeneca, more than 700 employees
* Kite, a Gilead Company, more than 500 employees
* Lonza, more than 500 employees
The county offers tax credits for companies that add set numbers of employees and expand by certain amounts of square feet.
For companies looking to move to this area, the county has more employment concentration in biotechnology research and development than other major life sciences counties such as Suffolk, Massachusetts; San Diego, California; and Durham, North Carolina.
The average Frederick County employee in biotechnology research and development made less than employees in the other three areas — $94,239 in Frederick County; $135,936 in Durham County; $191,943 in San Diego County; and $224,765 in Suffolk County.
Swartzlander said Frederick County is crafting another industry profile of manufacturing.
Loudoun County, Virginia, received a Silver Level award for its map of farm tourism.