FERS Retirement Help in Baltimore, MD
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By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated
Baltimore is unusual: its largest federal employer is the Social Security Administration itself. We help Baltimore-area feds plan FERS retirement by phone or video. There is no office to visit.
Federal employers in the area
OPM's August 2026 workforce data shows 20,784 federal civilians on duty in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro[19]. That count leaves out employees whose metro OPM does not publish, mainly security agencies such as most of DoD[20], so the real number is higher. The Social Security Administration leads with 7,919, followed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (3,109), the Veterans Health Administration (2,998) and the Coast Guard (1,080)[19].
Who to call about your benefits
Your agency HR office is the first stop while you're working. DoD civilians use their service's benefits center[2]. Retirees call OPM at 1-888-767-6738[3]. For Social Security questions, find your nearest SSA office with SSA's official locator[21]; we don't list addresses here because offices move.
Maryland tax on your FERS annuity
Maryland's pension exclusion lets you subtract up to $41,200 of pension income for 2025 ($40,600 for 2026) once you are 65 or older or totally disabled. The cap is reduced dollar for dollar by your Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits[24]. Before 65, a FERS annuity is generally taxed.
Cost of living
BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro at 104.5, where 100 is the U.S. average[1].
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Sources
- BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
- DoD DCPAS: Benefits Service Centers (official DoD civilian benefits contacts)
- OPM: Retirement Services contact
- OPM Federal Workforce Data: Federal Employment raw data, August 2026 (EHRI Status, published Oct 4, 2026)
- OPM Data Release Policy (security-agency duty stations outside DC are not published by metro)
- SSA: Social Security Office Locator
- Comptroller of Maryland: Maryland Pension Exclusion