County’s Nonprofit Sector -- Nearly $4 Billion in Purchasing Power, Employs 43,000

A new report just released by County officials reveals that 10% of the County’s workforce is employed by nonprofits, with total wages of $2.2 billion.

Entitled Beyond Charity: Nonprofit Business in Montgomery County, the report looks at nonprofits from several economic vantage points, starting with the fact that nonprofit businesses, like their for-profit counterparts, are employers and purchasers of goods and services.

Supporting data include:

• Montgomery County’s 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits paid $2.2 billion to 43,371 employees in 2011 and have nearly $4 billion in combined purchasing power.
• Nonprofits employ one in 10 workers in the County.
• Nonprofit employment in the County grew 9.1% between 2007 and 2011, while overall employment in the County decreased by 2.5%.

The report was funded by the departments of Economic Development and Health and Human Services.

Read more about the report.