Maryland travel nurse pay 2026: $98,153, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Maryland
Travel RN contracts in Maryland post an average base of $98,153 annualised — 3% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 22nd of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Maryland compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Maryland average $99,010, 16th of 51 states and DC, against a $98,153 posted travel base — so Maryland staff work out-earns the posted travel base, and a staff contract with benefits can win outright. Maryland salary guide.
Licensing for a Maryland assignment
Maryland is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Maryland assignment with no separate application, which is why Maryland can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Maryland Board of Nursing charges $100 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Maryland income tax: graduated to 5.75%, charged on wages earned in Maryland wherever your tax home is — so compare a Maryland contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Maryland state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Maryland's travel markets are Baltimore, Bethesda. Regional price parity is 105.9 against a national 100, so Maryland costs run 5.9% above average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Maryland demand
Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland anchor a major academic-medicine corridor. CRNA figure refreshed for 2026 — prior BLS $163K was small-sample volatility, true market rate is ~$238K-$250K.
Ratio law: Maryland has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a Maryland contract
What moves Maryland rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Baltimore, Bethesda, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Maryland's $98,153 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Maryland contract
Get the Maryland license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Maryland?
About $98,153 annualised posted base, 3% below the national $101,132 and 22nd of 51.
Do I need a Maryland license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Maryland.
Are Maryland travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Maryland
Virginia · West Virginia · Pennsylvania · Delaware · District of Columbia.
Related Maryland guides
Maryland RN salary · Maryland licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.