Fort George G. Meade, located mid-way between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is home to all five branches of the military service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Fort Meade is home to more than 95 government agencies and organizations including the National Security Agency.
Fort Meade is Maryland’s largest employer and has the third largest workforce of any Army installation in the continental United States. Of the approximately 40,000 people on base, roughly 11,000 are military personnel and 29,000 are civilian employees.
Fort George G. Meade and the National Security Agency together generate a total of $17.8 billion in economic activity in Maryland — or 49.4 percent of the total $36 billion in economic impact from all of the military installations, according to Mission Maryland: Measuring Economic Impact of Maryland’s Military Installations by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. It's the largest level of employment, payrolls and purchases in Maryland. Fort Meade and the NSA create or support 125,729 jobs earning an estimated $9.2 billion in employee compensation. The direct Fort Meade and NSA employment of 48,389 accounts for 1.4 percent of all employment in Maryland and when multiplier impacts are included, the 125,729 jobs in, created or supported by Fort Meade and the NSA account for 3.6 percent of all employment in Maryland.
Fort Meade is virtually a city in itself. It is located on 5,400 acres, and includes 65.5 miles of paved roads, 3.3 miles of secondary roads, and about 1,300 buildings. The installation sports a modern exchange mall, bank, credit union, post office, chapels, seven schools and many other facilities. Nearly 6,000 family members live on post.
As an independent community organization, the Fort Meade Alliance’s mission is to promote Fort George G. Meade as a growing regional economic asset. To that end, the Fort Meade Alliance has created a number of programs to benefit the installation and the community:
- The Fort Meade Alliance has taken an interest in the Wounded Warriors Transition Unit, a group for the more than 150 wounded soldiers and families on Fort Meade. We provide monthly snacks to their activity center and played a key role in raising funds to outfit their new Soldier and Family Assistance Center, which officially opened in February 2011.
- In addition, the Fort Meade Alliance is an avid supporter of Fort Meade MWR by proudly sponsoring soldier, family and youth activities on base. The Fort Meade MWR (www.ftmeademwr.com) is a network of support and leisure services for soldiers, their families, civilian employees, military retirees and other eligible participants. The Fort Meade MWR contributes to the military’s strength and readiness by offering services that reduce stress, build skills and self-confidence.
- The installation also offers the Fort Meade Attic, a quasi-thrift store where E-1 to E-5 enlisted and retired members of all services are able to help themselves - free of charge - to an array of household items from furniture, computer equipment and children's toys and books to bicycles, suitcases, uniforms and linens.
For more information, go to www.ftmeade.army.mil/pages/attic/attic.html.
