How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Maryland?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $49,770 for Real Estate Agents in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $40,490 and the 75th-percentile is $66,670.

What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Maryland?

The 90th percentile lands at $98,590. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $66,670.

Why is the BEA RPP for Maryland different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maryland's overall index of 104.6 reflects rents 119.9, services 108.7, and goods 103.2.

Where does Maryland rank for Real Estate Agent pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Maryland?

P10 to P90 spans $36,270 to $98,590. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maryland?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maryland.

Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Maryland agent income?

Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Maryland real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.

Maryland Real Estate Agent Salary: BLS $50K Median, Real $48K (2026)

TL;DR

Maryland pays Real Estate Agents a BLS median of $49,770 — the more useful number is $47,580, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $36,270 · P25 $40,490 · P75 $66,670 · P90 $98,590.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #38 of 51; nominal rank is #30.

Wage breakdown — Maryland

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$36,270	$34,674
P25 (lower quartile)	$40,490	$38,709
P50 (median)	$49,770	$47,580
P75 (upper quartile)	$66,670	$63,737
P90 (top tier)	$98,590	$94,252
Mean	$60,630	$57,963
Employment	2,530 Real Estate Agents in Maryland

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maryland index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.6
Goods	103.2
Services	108.7
Rents	119.9

Maryland's overall RPP (104.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Maryland (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Real Estate Agent)	$49,770	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,834	7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,190	2–5.75% (graduated, +county piggyback 2.25–3.2%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,807	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$39,938	80.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$38,181	÷ (104.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maryland state-tax burden means for Real Estate Agent take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $39,938 (80.2% of gross). After the 104.6 RPP, real take-home is $38,181. Local-tax overlay: Maryland counties piggyback 2.25–3.2% on state liability — Baltimore City and Howard / Montgomery / PG counties at the top of the range.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $56,320 for Real Estate Agents with mean pay of $70,970 and total employment of 190,600. Maryland sits at #30 on nominal pay and #38 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maryland falls 8 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Maryland?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $49,770 for Real Estate Agents in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $40,490 and the 75th-percentile is $66,670.
What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Maryland?: The 90th percentile lands at $98,590. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $66,670.
Why is the BEA RPP for Maryland different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maryland's overall index of 104.6 reflects rents 119.9, services 108.7, and goods 103.2.
Where does Maryland rank for Real Estate Agent pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Maryland?: P10 to P90 spans $36,270 to $98,590. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maryland?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maryland.
Does the BLS real estate agent figure represent typical Maryland agent income?: Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Maryland real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 41-9022, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Maryland Real Estate Agent pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.