Software Developers salary in Baltimore, Maryland

About 16,620 Software Developers work in the Baltimore metro, making it a substantial market for the role. The median annual wage in 2024 was $137,350, nearly identical to the Maryland median of $137,890 and within $1,200 of the national median of $138,520. For a major coastal metro, that closeness to the national figure is worth noting.

The spread tells a more interesting story. At the 10th percentile, Software Developers earned $86,200. At the 90th, they earned $217,120. Top earners in the Baltimore metro make about 2.5 times what bottom earners make, a wide range that reflects real differences in seniority, sub-specialty, and the mix of employers in the area. The mean wage of $151,370 sits roughly $14,000 above the median, which tells us a smaller group of higher-paid developers pulls the average up.

The federal government and its contractors are major employers in the broader DC-Maryland corridor, and the Baltimore metro picks up a share of that demand. Security clearance roles, defense contracts, and federal agency work tend to cluster here alongside the private sector. That mix likely contributes to why the median holds close to national levels even in a high-cost state.

For context, Maryland as a whole is an expensive state to live in, yet the Baltimore metro median tracks the national figure almost exactly. Readers comparing offers across locations should weigh local costs independently. The wage numbers here reflect what BLS measured in 2024.