Jobs and pay in Maryland

The highest-paying occupations in Maryland

Sorted by median annual wage — the midpoint of what people in the occupation are paid in this state, not what a newcomer earns. Occupations BLS did not release a wage for are absent rather than shown as zero.

1. Radiologists$581,510
2. Emergency medicine physicians$451,620
3. Dermatologists$442,210
4. Anesthesiologists$418,010
5. Orthodontists$361,030
6. Cardiologists$337,230
7. Surgeons, all other$328,700
8. Obstetricians and gynecologists$306,310
9. Psychiatrists$305,320
10. Neurologists$302,840
11. Family medicine physicians$285,730
12. General internal medicine physicians$260,410
13. Physicians, pathologists$253,670
14. Chief executives$248,660
15. Nurse anesthetists$223,140
16. Physicians, all other$212,080
17. Ophthalmologists, except pediatric$211,770
18. Dentists, all other specialists$207,450
19. Podiatrists$201,940
20. Pediatricians, general$181,640
21. Physicists$174,390
22. Architectural and engineering managers$172,670
23. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates$172,190
24. Computer and information systems managers$171,490
25. Natural sciences managers$168,620

Where the jobs actually are in Maryland

The same list sorted by how many people are employed in each occupation, which is a different question from what it pays and usually a more useful one. High pay in an occupation employing 400 people statewide is a narrower opportunity than it looks.

1. General and operations managers96,740 employed
2. Retail salespersons79,320 employed
3. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive54,890 employed
4. Registered nurses52,910 employed
5. Cashiers49,910 employed
6. Fast food and counter workers49,380 employed
7. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand47,710 employed
8. Home health and personal care aides46,560 employed
9. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners40,390 employed
10. Business operations specialists, all other39,820 employed
11. Waiters and waitresses38,120 employed
12. Customer service representatives37,740 employed
13. Stockers and order fillers34,980 employed
14. Software developers31,350 employed
15. Project management specialists30,530 employed
16. Elementary school teachers, except special education29,610 employed
17. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers29,150 employed
18. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers27,860 employed
19. Nursing assistants27,720 employed
20. Security guards27,670 employed
21. Office clerks, general27,290 employed
22. Accountants and auditors26,170 employed
23. Maintenance and repair workers, general23,730 employed
24. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary23,340 employed
25. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers23,080 employed

The best-paid Maryland work that typically needs no bachelor's degree

Occupations BLS reports as typically entered with an associate's degree, a postsecondary certificate, some college, a high-school diploma, or no formal credential — sorted by what they pay here. Typical is not a requirement, individual employers set their own, and many of these carry state licensing that the national figure does not capture.

1. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels$138,950 · Postsecondary nondegree award
2. Air traffic controllers$131,290 · Associate's degree
3. Commercial pilots$131,210 · Postsecondary nondegree award
4. Artists and related workers, all other$128,610 · No formal educational credential
5. Detectives and criminal investigators$126,730 · High school diploma or equivalent
6. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers$122,260 · High school diploma or equivalent
7. First-line supervisors of police and detectives$120,700 · High school diploma or equivalent
8. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers$120,530 · Postsecondary nondegree award
9. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay$117,760 · Postsecondary nondegree award
10. Power distributors and dispatchers$113,660 · High school diploma or equivalent
11. Power plant operators$111,260 · High school diploma or equivalent
12. Dental hygienists$107,830 · Associate's degree
13. Radiation therapists$107,120 · Associate's degree
14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers$106,090 · High school diploma or equivalent
15. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists$105,230 · Associate's degree
16. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers$105,180 · High school diploma or equivalent
17. Nuclear medicine technologists$104,150 · Associate's degree
18. Gas plant operators$102,950 · High school diploma or equivalent
19. Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians$102,090 · Associate's degree
20. Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers$100,800 · Associate's degree
21. Transportation inspectors$100,700 · High school diploma or equivalent
22. Funeral home managers$100,670 · Associate's degree
23. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians$100,500 · Postsecondary nondegree award
24. Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other$99,970 · Associate's degree
25. Hoist and winch operators$99,840 · No formal educational credential

A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one. CampusPin publishes the national picture of pay by entry education and which fields are actually awarded as certificates rather than degrees.

What Maryland does more of than the rest of the country

Location quotient: this occupation's share of Maryland employment divided by its share of U.S. employment. 2.0 means twice as concentrated here as nationally. It describes where the work IS — not what it pays, and not how easy it is to be hired. Limited to occupations employing at least 500 people in the state, so a tiny base cannot manufacture a large ratio.

Astronomers lead, much more concentrated here than nationally.

Other states