Baltimore's economy: A snapshot of the money-side of the city

A few Baltimore-based businesses launched a website Monday called WeAreBaltimore.com, with an information page that says the city is “so much more than sad news that lands hard and travels fast in every place.”

“Even as we face our challenges, we proudly boast of the finest medical system in the world – where lives are healed and miracles happen every day; Ours is a college town with superior schools of higher learning – where students from every nation on earth come to launch their future and a world of new possibility; where groundbreaking research is conducted and prized,” the site said.

As of noon Eastern Time on Monday, there was little information on the site which listed its founding members as Baltimore-based The Cryor Group, The Tucker Group and Mindgrub Technologies.

“Wearebaltimore.com is currently in development and will be active soon. We appreciate your interest and engagement in what we know will be a dynamic and sustainable platform for connecting individuals, expertise, capabilities, and resources essential to the Baltimore we love – and can become,” the site read.

Here are some economic stats and recent rankings for Charm City:

Real estate: The median home value in Baltimore is $113,500, according to Zillow. Baltimore home values have declined 3.2 percent over the past year and Zillow predicts they will fall 4.2 percent within the next year. The median list price per square foot in Baltimore is $144, which is lower than the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metro average of $190. The median rent price in Baltimore is $1,400, which is lower than the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Metro median of $1,650.

Jobs: The unemployment rate in Baltimore city was at 5.10 percent in May. Compare that to Maryland state’s 3.8 percent unemployment rate in June, while the national average sits at 3.7 percent.

Income: The typical household income in Baltimore was $46,641 in 2017, while the average family in the U.S. saw annual earnings of $57,652, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Poverty: According to Census Bureau data, the poverty rate in Charm City came in at 22.4 percent in 2017, compared to the national average of 12.3 percent.

City leadership ranking: Baltimore ranked as No. 129 out of 150 — (or 21 spots from the bottom of the list) — in WalletHub’s list of 2019’s best- and worst-run cities in America.

Crime: The city also took the No. 3  spot on 24/7 Wall Street’s recent list of the most dangerous cities in America. The No. 1 spot went to St. Louis, Missouri, while Detroit, Michigan took the No. 2 spot.

Retail sales per capita: In 2012, Baltimore rang in $5,871 in retail sales per capita, compared to the national average of $13,443, according to the Census Bureau.