The highest paying job in Maryland is Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric, with a median salary of $218,490 per year. Below is the complete ranking of the top 25 careers in MD based on 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024
Ranked by median annual salary. Click any job to see the full salary breakdown including percentile data and state-by-state comparisons.
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | Mean Salary | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $218,490 | $221,140 | N/A |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | $209,370 | $216,910 | 9,800 |
| 3 | Pediatricians, General | $208,160 | $242,470 | 510 |
| 4 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $199,990 | $191,060 | 160 |
| 5 | Podiatrists | $194,670 | $206,280 | N/A |
| 6 | Physicians, Pathologists | $190,370 | $220,030 | 70 |
| 7 | Dentists, General | $189,330 | $203,500 | 2,190 |
| 8 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $181,320 | $178,510 | 390 |
| 9 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,570 | $179,780 | 15,120 |
| 10 | Ship Engineers | $170,630 | $141,620 | 100 |
| 11 | Nurse Anesthetists | $167,740 | $163,470 | 710 |
| 12 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,500 | $169,850 | 5,780 |
| 13 | Physicists | $163,950 | $159,890 | 1,420 |
| 14 | Natural Sciences Managers | $162,610 | $174,950 | 5,020 |
| 15 | Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners, All Other | $160,560 | $158,810 | 6,190 |
| 16 | Aerospace Engineers | $158,220 | $158,290 | 3,490 |
| 17 | Astronomers | $157,980 | $153,000 | 570 |
| 18 | Optometrists | $157,830 | $142,060 | 870 |
| 19 | Financial Manager | $157,350 | $167,280 | 19,920 |
| 20 | Marketing Manager | $154,080 | $161,450 | 6,880 |
| 21 | Purchasing Managers | $153,320 | $148,870 | 2,520 |
| 22 | Human Resources Manager | $150,420 | $158,850 | 4,020 |
| 23 | Nuclear Engineers | $150,340 | $151,760 | 140 |
| 24 | Managers, All Other | $148,680 | $148,250 | 20,810 |
| 25 | Political Scientists | $148,680 | $148,480 | 130 |
Average Salary in Maryland · All Maryland Jobs · Build Your Resume →
The top-paying careers in Maryland are concentrated in Healthcare Practitioners fields. The #1 job, Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric, pays $142,047 more than the state average of $76,442 per year.
Among the top 25, the minimum median salary is $148,680, meaning all jobs on this list pay significantly above the national average.
See how Maryland's top salaries compare to other states.
Rankings are based on median annual salary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 estimates. We use median rather than mean salary because it better represents typical earnings and is less affected by outliers.
Only occupations with state-level data published by BLS are included. Some specialized or rare occupations may not have data for every state. For full methodology details, see our Methodology page.