Maryland's economy grew by less than 1 percent last year — a rate that was about a third of the national average and 36th in the country, according to new gross domestic product estimates released Wednesday by Department of Commerce.
Gross domestic product increased by 0.8 percent in 2014, compared to 2.2 percent nationally.
The state's economic growth has lagged behind the rest of the nation in recent years, and the new data show slower growth in 2011 and 2012 than had been previously estimated. In 2012, for example, Maryland's GDP increased by just 0.4 percent, rather than 1.2 percent as the Commerce Department reported previously.
The revisions, however, did show the state's economy grew 0.7 percent for 2013, rather than remaining flat.
North Dakota, Texas and Utah led the nation in state GDP growth. The southwest was the fastest growing region, followed by the rocky mountain states.
The real estate industry was the largest contributor to Maryland GDP growth in 2014, followed by professional, scientific and technical services. Increases in those sectors were offset by declines in areas such as finance and insurance, manufacturing of durable goods and construction.
