Dental Assistant Salary in Maryland: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Maryland dental assistant listings
$24/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $23–$28/hr, from 34 distinct pay ranges at 26 employers (Heartland Dental, Pacific Dental Services, Benevis).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$41,600
Median (50th)
$48,620
75th percentile
$58,820
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Maryland?
The median dental assistant in Maryland earns $48,620 a year ($23.38 an hour), which is $550 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Pennsylvania ($47,930) and Delaware ($47,600) but less than in District of Columbia ($60,580).
The mean is $50,720.
That ranks 19th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Maryland
The middle half of Maryland dental assistants earn $41,600 to $58,820.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $35,560, $1,570 below the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $61,710, $540 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Maryland
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Maryland's 2024 price level at 105.0 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 5.0% above the national average, and housing (index 121.1) runs 21.1% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $48,620 median is worth about $46,320 — $1,750 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Maryland
BLS counts about 6,560 dental assistant jobs in Maryland, 1.7% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.373 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental assistants hold a 5% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.95).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Maryland
Across the 4 Maryland metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $46,690 in Hagerstown to $48,410 in Baltimore, a spread of $1,720.
All dental roles by metro: Baltimore · Hagerstown · Lexington Park · Salisbury
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in Maryland Show Right Now
From the 65 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Heartland Dental18
- Pacific Dental Services11
- Benevis2
- DENTISTRY FOR CHILDREN2
- Kensington Natural Smiles2
- Smile Brands2
Pay employers post
- Median $24 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $23–$24.50 (53 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 85% of dental assistant listings in Maryland state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 83%
- Health insurancenamed in 71%
- 401(k) plannamed in 52%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 37%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 23%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 23%
- Training providednamed in 14%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 14%
Source: active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 65 jobs →Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Maryland
Dental assistant practice in Maryland is regulated by the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners.
Scope of practice — what a dental assistant may do, and under what level of supervision — is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How Maryland Compares
Other dental salaries in Maryland
- Dentist salary in Maryland: median $168,500, $119,880 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Maryland: median $107,830, $59,210 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Maryland: median $47,850, $770 below the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Maryland: median $361,030
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates, all industries); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Price-adjusted pay divides the median by the price level.
Listing counts and posted pay are live DentistryHires listings, refreshed hourly.
A dash means BLS did not publish that figure; nothing is estimated.