The top 25 occupations in Maryland ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Maryland cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Maryland-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $611,100 | $794,400 | $1,008,300 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $502,700 | $653,600 | $829,500 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $460,200 | $598,300 | $759,300 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $324,100 | $421,400 | $534,800 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $276,400 | $359,300 | $456,000 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $250,700 | $325,900 | $413,600 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $238,100 | $309,600 | $392,900 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $237,000 | $308,100 | $391,100 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $216,800 | $281,900 | $357,800 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $211,800 | $275,300 | $349,500 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $204,200 | $265,500 | $337,000 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $199,200 | $259,000 | $328,700 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $195,400 | $254,000 | $322,400 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $195,400 | $254,000 | $322,400 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $193,500 | $251,600 | $319,300 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $191,600 | $249,100 | $316,200 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $190,200 | $247,300 | $313,900 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $188,400 | $244,900 | $310,900 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $188,400 | $244,900 | $310,900 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $186,600 | $242,600 | $307,900 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $184,600 | $240,000 | $304,600 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $182,600 | $237,300 | $301,200 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $180,800 | $235,000 | $298,300 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $179,000 | $232,700 | $295,400 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $179,000 | $232,700 | $295,400 |
In Maryland, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $611,100 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $1,008,300.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Maryland's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Maryland typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.