Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,795/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all others typically earn — is $59K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,532/month. At HUD’s $1,795/month FMR, rent would take 51% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 28% above the national median — $100K here vs. $78K nationally.

Maryland pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $78K — that’s +28%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.76), the purchasing-power equivalent is $101K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $99,970 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,860, and experienced engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all others can clear $135,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,178/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,795/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Maryland has a Regional Price Parity of 98.76 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other salary is worth about $101,225 in national-average purchasing power.

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.