Recreation Workers in Maryland
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,667
after federal, FICA and Maryland tax
Tax takes
$6,533
17.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$29,497
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
$37,200
Kept after tax
$30,667
Worth in national money
$29,497
State rank
15
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Maryland pays recreation workers a middle wage of $37,200, ranking 15 of 51 states and sitting about 1.75% above the national middle.
- Measured against other jobs in Maryland, this one sits low: 452 of 489 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $37,200 the take-home is $30,667. But Maryland costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $29,497 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $41,280, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Maryland's median for recreation workers is $37,200, about 1.75% above the national figure and 15 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Recreation workers occupies position 452 of 489 in Maryland's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Maryland income tax is $30,667 for recreation workers, from $37,200. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $29,497. ⚠️ 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 $41,280 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Recreation Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,390 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,200 |
| Top tenth earn over | $56,160 |
| This salary | $37,200 |
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 | $30,667 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,070 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,505 |
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 | $35,453 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,239 |
| 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 $37,200. The published range is $32,390 up to $56,160, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $30,667 take-home in Maryland comes from $37,200. 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 452 of 489.
- Two cautions on $29,497, the adjusted value of that $37,200 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Maryland. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 452 of 489 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for recreation workers in Maryland the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $32,390 to $56,160. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $30,667, from $37,200, 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 452 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 15 of 51 for it.
- This $29,497 adjusted figure, worked from $37,200, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 452 of 489 in the state. The occupation ranks 452 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 $41,280, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $32,390 and the top tenth $56,160, so most people doing this work in Maryland sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $29,497 of national purchasing power.
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 $30,667.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
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 $41,280. 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 ($32,390 to $56,160) 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 $29,497 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 $30,667 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.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.