Nursing Assistants salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Nursing Assistants in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Maryland tax rules.
The figures
The median Nursing Assistants in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earns $42,770 a year ($20.56 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn between $38,220 and $44,990 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $35,180 or less and the top 10 percent earn $47,940 or more. BLS estimates 13,580 Nursing Assistants jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area — 10.007 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.07 (above the national concentration). That is 0.9% of all Nursing Assistants employment in the United States (1,448,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is the #16 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Nursing Assistants. In aggregate, Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn about $0.58 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $34,771.76 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Nursing Assistants is about $0.47 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 5.3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #15 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Nursing Assistants. By employment, Nursing Assistants is the #19 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Placed against the national distribution for Nursing Assistants, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $42,770 falls between the national median ($42,260) and the national 75th percentile ($47,220). Across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median is $59,070 a year — Nursing Assistants pay is 27.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $20.49 | $42,630 |
| 10th percentile | $16.91 | $35,180 |
| 25th percentile | $18.37 | $38,220 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $20.56 | $42,770 |
| 75th percentile | $21.63 | $44,990 |
| 90th percentile | $23.05 | $47,940 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($47,940 against $35,180). The middle half spans $6,770 — from $38,220 to $44,990. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.05) is 1.36 times the 10th ($16.91). In the upper half of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $44,990 takes home $36,556.12 and the 90th percentile wage of $47,940 takes home $38,785.92 — $2,229.80 more net for $2,950 more gross. Against the median take-home of $34,877.96, the top decile keeps 1.11 times as much. The mean wage of $42,630 sits 0.3% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Nursing Assistants ranks #20 by median pay. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Nursing Assistants sits between Customer Service Representatives at $42,850 and First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers at $38,760. Nursing Assistants accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,090 Nursing Assistants; Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD employs 0.6 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Maryland
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Maryland; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $42,770.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,952.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,651.74 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $620.17 |
| Maryland income tax | $1,667.95 |
| Total deductions | $7,892.04 |
| Net pay (annual) | $34,877.96 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,341.46 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.45% of gross |
At the median, $34,877.96 of the $42,770 gross is kept ($1,341.46 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.45%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.17% at the 10th percentile, 17.74% at the 25th percentile, 18.75% at the 75th percentile, 19.09% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $5,118.22 on a gross rise of $6,770.
The same engine at the other published points of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($35,180) | $29,139.68 | $1,120.76 | 17.17% |
| 25th percentile ($38,220) | $31,437.90 | $1,209.15 | 17.74% |
| Median ($42,770) | $34,877.96 | $1,341.46 | 18.45% |
| 75th percentile ($44,990) | $36,556.12 | $1,406.00 | 18.75% |
| 90th percentile ($47,940) | $38,785.92 | $1,491.77 | 19.09% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,139.68 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,785.92 at the 90th — a spread of $9,646.24 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median wage of $59,070 takes home $47,200.74 a year ($1,815.41 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.09%). The Nursing Assistants median take-home of $34,877.96 sits $12,322.78 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Nursing Assistants earns $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour). The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $42,770 is $510 (1.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $42,630 a year in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD against $42,700 nationally, a gap of $70 (0.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Nursing Assistants 90th percentile of $47,940 is 35% of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($138,650), and its 10th percentile of $35,180 is 103% of the area-wide 10th ($34,230).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $42,770 | $20.56 | $42,630 |
| United States | $42,260 | $20.32 | $42,700 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$42,770 a year ($20.56 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $42,630 a year. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #15 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $42,770 in Maryland?
About $34,877.96 a year ($1,341.46 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.45% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $44,990, take-home is $36,556.12.
How does pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compare with the national median for Nursing Assistants?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $42,770 is $510 (1.2%) above the national median of $42,260 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $47,940, against a national 90th percentile of $51,980.
How much do the top 10% of Nursing Assistants earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$47,940 a year or more ($23.05 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
On $47,940 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,785.92 a year ($1,491.77 per biweekly paycheck) in Maryland under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.09%.
How many Nursing Assistants jobs are there in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
BLS estimates 13,580 Nursing Assistants jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — 10.007 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Nursing Assistants jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
The location quotient is 1.07 — above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
From $29,139.68 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($35,180) to $38,785.92 at the 90th ($47,940), under the same single-filer assumptions in Maryland.
What is the total wage bill for Nursing Assistants in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
About $0.58 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 13,580 multiplied by the mean wage of $42,630.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.