How much does an RN make in Maryland?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,830 for RNs in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,470 and the 75th-percentile is $104,840.

What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Maryland?

The 90th percentile lands at $121,150. 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 $104,840.

How many RNs does Maryland employ?

BLS OES counts 48,980 RNs employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Maryland rank for RN 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.

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.

How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Maryland?

BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Maryland typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.

Travel RN vs staff RN in Maryland — which earns more on a real basis?

Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In Maryland, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

Maryland Registered Nurse Salary: BLS $97K Median, Real $93K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Maryland RN median pay at $96,830. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $92,570.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Bottom quartile $81,470, top quartile $104,840. The P90 ($121,150) is roughly 1.6× the P10 ($75,470).
Maryland accepts the NLC multistate license; cross-state mobility is materially cheaper here than in non-compact states.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #20 of 51; nominal rank is #15.

Wage breakdown — Maryland

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$75,470	$72,150
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,470	$77,886
P50 (median)	$96,830	$92,570
P75 (upper quartile)	$104,840	$100,228
P90 (top tier)	$121,150	$115,820
Mean	$96,650	$92,398
Employment	48,980 RNs 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 (RN)	$96,830	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,550	13.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,426	2–5.75% (graduated, +county piggyback 2.25–3.2%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,407	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,447	74.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$69,260	÷ (104.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maryland state-tax burden means for RN take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,447 (74.8% of gross). After the 104.6 RPP, real take-home is $69,260. 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 $93,600 for RNs with mean pay of $98,430 and total employment of 3,282,010. Maryland sits at #15 on nominal pay and #20 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maryland falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Maryland (NLC)

Maryland participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), with effective participation since 2018. RNs holding a multistate license issued by another Compact state may practice in Maryland without applying for a separate Maryland license. Maryland-issued multistate licenses are reciprocally recognized in 36 other Compact states (37 jurisdictions total in 2026), eliminating the per-state endorsement workflow ($100–$500 + 4–16 week processing) for travel and per-diem RN work.

Maryland has been a Compact participant for 8 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

Source: NCSBN compact implementation tracker — re-synced quarterly. See NLC reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an RN make in Maryland?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,830 for RNs in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,470 and the 75th-percentile is $104,840.
What does the top of the RN pay scale look like in Maryland?: The 90th percentile lands at $121,150. 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 $104,840.
How many RNs does Maryland employ?: BLS OES counts 48,980 RNs employed in Maryland in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Maryland rank for RN 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.
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.
How does specialty (ICU, OR, NICU, ER, L&D) affect RN pay in Maryland?: BLS reports a single 'Registered Nurses' SOC code (29-1141), so the figures on this page are not specialty-segmented. In practice, ICU, NICU, and OR roles in Maryland typically pay 8-15% above the all-RN median; L&D and ER vary by hospital system. Travel-RN contracts can substantially exceed staff rates during demand spikes.
Travel RN vs staff RN in Maryland — which earns more on a real basis?: Travel RN gross weekly is usually higher, but the real comparison nets out housing stipends (which are tax-advantaged but state-dependent), per-diem premiums, and the lack of staff-side benefits and pension accrual. In Maryland, the real-wage gap is narrower than the headline contract numbers suggest.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1141, 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 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Maryland RN 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.