Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Salary
The median pay for a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is $85,590/year, per BLS data. The range runs from $51K at the entry level to $218K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 104.49), that's roughly $81,912 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,857/month, about 34.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $86K actually covers in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Baltimore-Columbia-Towson’s Regional Price Parity (104.49). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries
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What this looks like in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson tracks closely to the national median, $86K locally vs. $79K nationwide, a 9% difference. Rent runs $1,857/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.4% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 104.49) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries in metros near Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $78K | $76K |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $80K | $74K |
| Pittsburgh | $80K | $84K |
| Richmond | $74K | $76K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Entry-level art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries (10th percentile) start around $51K. Mid-career wages sit at $86K. Top earners bring in $218K or more, a $167K spread from bottom to top.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $103K | +31% | 150 |
| California | $99K | +26% | 9,820 |
| New York | $99K | +26% | 14,920 |
| Vermont | $98K | +25% | 180 |
| Rhode Island | $98K | +24% | 440 |
| District of Columbia | $97K | +23% | 350 |
| Massachusetts | $86K | +9% | 4,960 |
| Maryland | $86K | +9% | 1,280 |
| Michigan | $83K | +6% | 2,410 |
| New Jersey | $80K | +2% | 3,300 |
| Georgia | $80K | +2% | 1,910 |
| Maine | $80K | +2% | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $79K | +1% | 440 |
| Louisiana | $79K | +0% | 720 |
| Connecticut | $79K | -0% | 1,430 |
| Montana | $78K | -0% | 190 |
| Ohio | $78K | -1% | 3,940 |
| Washington | $78K | -1% | 1,400 |
| Minnesota | $78K | -1% | 1,310 |
| Iowa | $78K | -1% | 910 |
| Texas | $78K | -1% | 6,730 |
| Wisconsin | $78K | -1% | 1,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $77K | -2% | 4,170 |
| Oregon | $77K | -2% | 1,440 |
| New Mexico | $76K | -3% | 380 |
| Indiana | $76K | -3% | 1,920 |
| Missouri | $76K | -3% | 1,450 |
| Nebraska | $75K | -4% | 490 |
| Virginia | $75K | -5% | 2,840 |
| North Carolina | $74K | -6% | 2,880 |
| West Virginia | $73K | -7% | 340 |
| Idaho | $72K | -8% | 250 |
| Arizona | $72K | -8% | 1,040 |
| Tennessee | $72K | -8% | 1,370 |
| Colorado | $70K | -11% | 1,950 |
| North Dakota | $67K | -15% | 130 |
| Utah | $66K | -16% | 790 |
| Kentucky | $64K | -18% | 900 |
| Florida | $64K | -19% | 2,490 |
| Alabama | $64K | -19% | 900 |
| South Dakota | $63K | -19% | 200 |
| Illinois | $63K | -20% | 4,170 |
| South Carolina | $62K | -21% | 1,290 |
| Oklahoma | $62K | -21% | 760 |
| Kansas | $61K | -22% | 640 |
| Arkansas | $61K | -23% | 360 |
| Mississippi | $61K | -23% | 540 |
| Wyoming | $59K | -25% | 180 |
| Nevada | $53K | -33% | 260 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Baltimore-Columbia-Towson numbers change.
Related careers in Education
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary afford a 2BR apartment alone in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $86K, rent takes 34.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,857/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $51K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,391/month. At HUD’s $1,857/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary a high-paying job in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $86K locally vs. $79K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Baltimore-Columbia-Towson compare to the national average for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries?
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson pays $86K median vs. the U.S. average of $79K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 104.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $82K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries make in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
The median is $85,590 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,900, and experienced art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries can clear $218,070. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $86K enough to live in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,392/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,857/month, which eats 34.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary go in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson?
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson has a Regional Price Parity of 104.49 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $81,912 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.