Retail Salespersons salary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons 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 Retail Salespersons in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earns $34,800 a year ($16.73 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn between $33,380 and $36,930 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $31,200 or less and the top 10 percent earn $45,980 or more. BLS estimates 39,920 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area — 29.422 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.17 (above the national concentration). That is 1.0% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is the #19 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn about $1.49 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $30,757.60 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Retail Salespersons is about $1.23 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #2 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $34,800 falls between the national 25th percentile ($29,900) and the national median ($35,410). Across all occupations, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median is $59,070 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 41.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $17.94 | $37,320 |
| 10th percentile | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| 25th percentile | $16.05 | $33,380 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $16.73 | $34,800 |
| 75th percentile | $17.76 | $36,930 |
| 90th percentile | $22.11 | $45,980 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($45,980 against $31,200). The middle half spans $3,550 — from $33,380 to $36,930. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($22.11) is 1.47 times the 10th ($15.00). In the upper half of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $36,930 takes home $30,462.76 and the 90th percentile wage of $45,980 takes home $37,304.58 — $6,841.82 more net for $9,050 more gross. Against the median take-home of $28,852.50, the top decile keeps 1.29 times as much. The mean wage of $37,320 sits 7.2% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Retail Salespersons ranks #28 by median pay. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Waiters and Waitresses at $36,170 and Cashiers at $33,760. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.9% of all employment in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; 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) | $34,800.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $1,996.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,157.60 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $504.60 |
| Maryland income tax | $1,289.38 |
| Total deductions | $5,947.50 |
| Net pay (annual) | $28,852.50 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,109.71 |
| Total deduction rate | 17.09% of gross |
At the median, $28,852.50 of the $34,800 gross is kept ($1,109.71 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 17.09%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.25% at the 10th percentile, 16.78% at the 25th percentile, 17.51% at the 75th percentile, 18.87% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $2,684.20 on a gross rise of $3,550.
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 ($31,200) | $26,131.04 | $1,005.04 | 16.25% |
| 25th percentile ($33,380) | $27,778.56 | $1,068.41 | 16.78% |
| Median ($34,800) | $28,852.50 | $1,109.71 | 17.09% |
| 75th percentile ($36,930) | $30,462.76 | $1,171.64 | 17.51% |
| 90th percentile ($45,980) | $37,304.58 | $1,434.79 | 18.87% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,131.04 a year at the 10th percentile to $37,304.58 at the 90th — a spread of $11,173.54 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 Retail Salespersons median take-home of $28,852.50 sits $18,348.24 (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 Retail Salespersons earns $35,410 a year ($17.03 an hour). The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $34,800 is $610 (1.7%) below the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $37,320 a year in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $10 (0.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $45,980 is 33% of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($138,650), and its 10th percentile of $31,200 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($34,230).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $34,800 | $16.73 | $37,320 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$34,800 a year ($16.73 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $37,320 a year. Ranked by median pay, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $34,800 in Maryland?
About $28,852.50 a year ($1,109.71 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 17.09% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $36,930, take-home is $30,462.76.
How does pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median of $34,800 is $610 (1.7%) below the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $45,980, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
$45,980 a year or more ($22.11 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
On $45,980 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $37,304.58 a year ($1,434.79 per biweekly paycheck) in Maryland under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 18.87%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
BLS estimates 39,920 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area — 29.422 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
The location quotient is 1.17 — 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 Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
From $26,131.04 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($31,200) to $37,304.58 at the 90th ($45,980), under the same single-filer assumptions in Maryland.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
About $1.49 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 39,920 multiplied by the mean wage of $37,320.
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.