Maryland · salary and cost of living

Average Salary in Maryland

The average salary in Maryland is $77,580 a year across all jobs and the median wage is $59,510, according to BLS statewide estimates for May 2025. Lexington Park pays the most of the 4 metro areas we cover ($82,580), and Hagerstown the least ($60,180). Prices are 5% above the U.S. average (BEA).

$77,580average salary
$59,510median salary
105cost of living (U.S. = 100)
$101,652median household income
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Average and median wage in Maryland

Half of the 2,763,030 workers in Maryland earn less than $59,510 a year, the median wage, while the average pay is $77,580, or $37.30 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% make $34,520 or less and the top 10% $145,410 or more. The average is 11% more than the U.S. average ($69,770) and the median 17% more than the U.S. median ($50,980).

  • $35K10th
  • $39K25th
  • $60KMedian
  • $98K75th
  • $145K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelMaryland per yearPer hour*U.S. per year
Average$77,580$37.30$69,770
Median$59,510$28.61$50,980
10th percentile$34,520$16.60$31,200
25th percentile$39,440$18.96$37,590
75th percentile$98,010$47.12$80,520
90th percentile$145,410$69.91$128,560

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Statewide figures include every employer in the state, metro and rural. Median vs. average salary · reading percentiles.

Average salary by city in Maryland

Map of Maryland metro areas

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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Salary, take-home pay and cost of living by city

CityAverageMedianTake-home*Cost of livingHome value
Lexington Park$82,580$63,990$63,214101$414,100
Baltimore$76,370$59,070$59,140104$405,877
Salisbury$63,770$48,710$50,60296$429,483
Hagerstown$60,180$47,440$47,88794$324,997

*Average salary after federal and state income tax and payroll taxes for a single filer. Cost of living: BEA price parity, U.S. = 100.

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Highest-paying jobs in Maryland

Most common jobs in Maryland

JobJobs statewideAverageMedianHighest city average
General and Operations Managers96,740$136,570$117,930$134,760
Retail Salespersons79,320$37,950$35,510$37,320
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive54,890$50,790$48,680$51,030
Registered Nurses52,910$99,010$99,790$99,100
Cashiers49,910$35,250$34,390$34,670
Fast Food and Counter Workers49,380$34,210$33,660$33,820
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand47,710$42,990$41,600$43,010
Home Health and Personal Care Aides46,560$39,510$38,040$40,880
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners40,390$39,270$36,620$41,750
Business Operations Specialists, All Other39,820$107,050$101,500$134,090

Jobs, average and median: BLS statewide estimates. Highest city average: best-paid metro area we cover in the state.

Average salary by job family in Maryland

Job familyAverageMedianJobs
Management$144,570$131,490260,910
Computer and Mathematical$129,350$128,440139,610
Legal$128,120$108,64023,710
Architecture and Engineering$120,070$111,22053,510
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical$115,130$98,600172,320
Life, Physical, and Social Science$110,310$103,56048,980
Business and Financial Operations$102,000$95,870225,410
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media$78,760$71,10032,380
Educational Instruction and Library$77,240$66,230173,070
Community and Social Service$66,510$60,59052,700
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair$66,310$61,25096,580
Construction and Extraction$65,180$59,880111,750
Protective Service$64,780$57,52077,060
Production$54,340$47,81066,800
Office and Administrative Support$54,180$49,210314,090
Sales and Related$51,120$37,440221,830
Transportation and Material Moving$51,060$44,950213,550
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry$44,870$40,0902,970
Personal Care and Service$44,120$37,96066,620
Healthcare Support$43,660$41,070112,650
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance$41,420$38,03083,400
Food Preparation and Serving Related$39,600$36,050213,130

Maryland income tax and take-home pay

Take-home figures on these pages apply Maryland's 2025 income tax rules for a single filer with the standard deduction, plus federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security and Medicare. Maryland's county income tax (2.25%–3.30%, charged in every county) is not included, so real take-home pay is lower.

Maryland paycheck calculator

Maryland at a glance

$546 billionstate GDP (BEA, 2024)
6,170,738population (Census, 2023)
2,152reported crimes per 100,000 residents (FBI, statewide)

Average salary in other states

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Salary in Maryland: questions

What is the average salary in Maryland?

$77,580 a year across all jobs, according to BLS statewide estimates (OEWS, May 2025). That is 11% more than the U.S. average ($69,770).

What is the median salary in Maryland?

$59,510 a year: half of Maryland workers earn more and half earn less. The median is lower than the average because a minority of high earners lifts the average.

What is the average hourly wage in Maryland?

$37.30 an hour on average, and $28.61 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

Which city in Maryland pays the most?

Lexington Park, with an average of $82,580 a year among the metro areas we cover.

Is Maryland expensive to live in?

BEA puts Maryland prices 5% above the U.S. average (price parity 105.0). Within the state, Baltimore 104, Lexington Park 101, Salisbury 96 are the most expensive metros.

Sources and how to read this page

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