Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
6 metro areas in Maryland publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 156,340 jobs. The three largest employers of registered nurses are Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (73,790 jobs), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (46,830 jobs), Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (30,930 jobs), which hold 96.9% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $92,770 to $102,710 a year, against $99,790 for the whole state and $97,550 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $97,550 a year for registered nurses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $68,940 and the highest-paid tenth over $137,470). Employment is projected to change by +5.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Registered nurses in Maryland: the highest median pay is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area ($102,710 a year); the most jobs are in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (73,790). Statewide the median is $99,790 with 52,910 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 46,830 | $102,710 | $80,750 | $132,900 | 0.69 | 24% | 108.9 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 73,790 | $101,180 | $79,160 | $121,900 | 1.17 | 18% | 102.6 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 30,930 | $99,550 | $77,600 | $125,020 | 1.05 | 19% | 104.5 |
| Salisbury, MD | 1,620 | $94,880 | $75,830 | $121,900 | 1.39 | 16% | 95.6 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 930 | $94,780 | $74,550 | $123,690 | 0.61 | n/a | n/a |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 2,240 | $92,770 | $63,360 | $121,430 | 0.96 | 15% | 94.2 |
National page: Registered nurses →Cities of Maryland
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with a median of $102,710 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area, with 73,790 jobs.