Computer Programmers in Maryland
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$91,325
after federal, FICA and Maryland tax
Tax takes
$34,245
27.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$87,842
Maryland costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Maryland — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$125,570
Kept after tax
$91,325
Worth in national money
$87,842
State rank
4
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Maryland is one of the better-paying states for computer programmers. The middle earner takes $125,570, which ranks 4 of 46 states with published figures. That is about 25.08% above the national middle.
- Within Maryland this is well-paid work. Of 489 occupations with published figures in the state, computer programmers ranks 45 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $125,570 the take-home is $91,325. But Maryland costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $87,842 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $117,210, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Maryland ranks 4 of 46 states publishing a median for computer programmers, at $125,570 — about 25.08% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Ranked against every occupation Maryland publishes a median for, computer programmers sits 45 of 489 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Maryland income tax is $91,325 for computer programmers, from $125,570. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $87,842. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $117,210 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Computer Programmers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $74,470 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $125,570 |
| Top tenth earn over | $158,880 |
| This salary | $125,570 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Maryland | $91,325 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $97,093 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$12,074 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $117,263 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$16,785 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Maryland earn less than $125,570. The published range is $74,470 up to $158,880, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $91,325 take-home in Maryland comes from $125,570. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 45 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $87,842 uses one figure for the whole of Maryland. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 45.
- Reported values are medians; for computer programmers in Maryland the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $74,470 to $158,880. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $91,325, from $125,570, assumes a single Maryland filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 45 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 4 of 46 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $87,842, worked from $125,570, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Maryland address, on work sitting at 45 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $117,210, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $74,470 at the bottom tenth to $158,880 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
The number and the value are different things. Maryland costs more than the national average, so this take-home stretches like $87,842 rather than its face figure.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Maryland then takes its own share, leaving $91,325.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 46 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Maryland is $117,210. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($74,470 to $158,880) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Maryland rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Maryland's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $87,842 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $91,325 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Maryland income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.