Local governments keep growing in Maryland

Local governments in Maryland are growing thanks to higher taxes banking their payrolls, a trend that bucks the rest of the nation and stands starkly in contrast with downsizing in Virginia, new U.S. census survey data show.

The number of people on local government payrolls in Maryland grew by nearly 3 percent — or about 6,000 people — to 220,314 during the year that ended in March 2012, the data released Thursday show. The growth comes while most local governments shrank their payrolls, combining for an average drop of 1.7 percent nationwide. Meanwhile, local governments in Virginia collectively downsized by 1.4 percent, or roughly 4,500 people, to 313,907 total.