Average Salaries in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Explore salaries across 672 occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $70.4K, +14.4% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 672 occupations and 1,310,090 total jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD.
How the metro compares
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $226.6K | 3,420 |
| Podiatrists | $218.4K | 130 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $213.5K | N/A |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $209.3K | 420 |
| Pediatricians, General | $187.2K | 280 |
| Dentists, General | $186.5K | 1,090 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $181.3K | 200 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $173.1K | 7,380 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $164.0K | 2,390 |
| Physicists | $162.5K | 480 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 42,480 | $103.7K |
| Retail Salespersons | 35,170 | $33.7K |
| Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive | 30,060 | $47.1K |
| Registered Nurses | 29,030 | $97.1K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 26,380 | $40.6K |
| Cashiers | 24,540 | $31.6K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 22,820 | $36.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 21,540 | $39.4K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 20,060 | $35.5K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 19,600 | $31.2K |
What Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist And Winch Operators | 7.11 | $90.2K |
| Therapists, All Other | 5.44 | $55.2K |
| Geographers | 4.84 | $88.3K |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 4.44 | N/A |
| Area, Ethnic, And Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.15 | $81.6K |
| Healthcare Practitioners And Technical Workers, All Other | 4.07 | $73.9K |
| Office And Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 3.97 | $49.9K |
| Biological Technicians | 3.79 | $49.1K |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | 3.70 | $104.1K |
| Legal Support Workers, All Other | 3.34 | $78.6K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.