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.
5 metro areas in Maryland publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 115,640 jobs. The three largest employers of software developers are Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (69,060 jobs), Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (28,480 jobs), Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (16,850 jobs), which hold 98.9% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $122,830 to $154,930 a year, against $138,680 for the whole state and $135,980 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $135,980 a year for software developers (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $82,460 and the highest-paid tenth over $214,670). Employment is projected to change by +10.2% between 2025 and 2035, with about 95,300 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.
Software developers in Maryland: the highest median pay is in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area ($154,930 a year); the most jobs are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area (69,060). Statewide the median is $138,680 with 31,350 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 | 69,060 | $154,930 | $96,450 | $213,660 | 2.03 | 16% | 108.9 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 16,850 | $138,900 | $87,290 | $223,550 | 1.14 | 14% | 104.5 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 28,480 | $133,040 | $82,960 | $190,180 | 0.91 | 13% | 102.6 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 720 | $132,850 | $85,020 | $210,110 | 0.94 | n/a | n/a |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 530 | $122,830 | $56,530 | $172,300 | 0.45 | 11% | 94.2 |
National page: Software developers →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 $154,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area, with 69,060 jobs.