Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant Salary in Baltimore, MD
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area earn a median $47,680 a year — 4% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $38,590 take-home, or $3,216 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median medical secretary and administrative assistant salary in Baltimore, MD. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$3,542
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,956
- Medicare (1.45%)$691
- Maryland income tax$1,901
- Take-home pay$38,590
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.75% state
Living in Baltimore City? City residents also pay Baltimore City’s city income tax — about $1,316 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $37,274 ($3,106 a month). Choose “Baltimore City” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant pay by experience in Baltimore, MD
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $39,050 | $18.77 | $32,065 | $2,672 |
| 25th percentile | $43,930 | $21.12 | $35,755 | $2,980 |
| Median (50th) | $47,680 | $22.92 | $38,590 | $3,216 |
| 75th percentile | $52,780 | $25.38 | $42,445 | $3,537 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $60,660 | $29.16 | $48,403 | $4,034 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Maryland resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $47,680 buys in Baltimore, MD
Prices in Baltimore, MD are 4.5% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.18× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median medical secretary and administrative assistant's $38,590 take-home pay has the buying power of $36,933 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant jobs are about as common in Baltimore, MD as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.03).
Best-paying cities for medical secretaries and administrative assistants, adjusted for cost of living
Baltimore, MD ranks #47 of 69 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $69,350 | $54,380 | $49,247 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $60,350 | $50,671 | $45,595 |
| 3 | Sacramento, CA | $57,730 | $46,302 | $43,407 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $61,330 | $48,932 | $42,324 |
| 5 | Winston, NC | $46,370 | $38,097 | $41,390 |
| 6 | Cleveland, OH | $45,920 | $38,596 | $41,094 |
| 7 | Albuquerque, NM | $47,310 | $39,127 | $40,950 |
| 8 | Cincinnati, OH | $46,180 | $38,798 | $40,682 |
| 47 | Baltimore, MD | $47,680 | $38,590 | $36,933 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 69 metros →
About the job: medical secretaries and administrative assistants
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +4.8% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a medical secretary and administrative assistant make in Baltimore, MD?
The median medical secretary and administrative assistant salary in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area is $47,680 a year, or about $22.92 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $43,930 and $52,780.
What is a medical secretary and administrative assistant’s take-home pay in Baltimore, MD?
On the median $47,680 salary, a single filer living in Maryland takes home about $38,590 a year ($3,216 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,901 in Maryland taxes in 2026.
Is Baltimore, MD a good place to work as a medical secretary and administrative assistant?
Pay here is 4% above the national median of $45,930. Local prices are 4.5% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $36,933 would in a typical U.S. city. Baltimore, MD ranks #47 of 69 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a medical secretary and administrative assistant afford rent in Baltimore, MD?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Baltimore, MD is $1,511 a month ($1,857 for two bedrooms) — 47% of a median medical secretary and administrative assistant’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in Baltimore, MD
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant — $78,380
- First-Line Supervisor of Office and Administrative Support Workers — $75,590
- Postal Service Mail Carrier — $62,070
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs — $57,160
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks — $57,100
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks — $53,570
- Billing and Posting Clerk — $52,940
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive — $49,220
- Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other — $48,010
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks — $47,440
- Office Clerks, General — $46,250
- Customer Service Representative — $42,850