How much does a Dentist make in Maryland?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $189,330 for Dentists in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $131,110 and the 75th-percentile is $205,020.

Why is the BEA RPP for Maryland different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maryland's overall index of 104.6 reflects rents 119.9, services 108.7, and goods 103.2.

Where does Maryland rank for Dentist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

What are the limits of these Dentist salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maryland?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maryland.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Maryland?

BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Maryland, DSO-employed dentists typically start at or above BLS median with production-bonus upside but cap below long-tenure solo owner total earnings. Solo private practice in Maryland pays below DSO at the associate level but compounds via ownership equity, equipment depreciation, and tax-deferred retirement contributions over a 10-20 year career. Specialist dentists (orthodontists, oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists) in Maryland are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.

Maryland Dentist Salary: BLS $189K Median, Real $181K (2026)

TL;DR

Median Dentist salary in Maryland: $189,330 nominal, $181,000 real (BEA RPP basis).
Nominal: #13/51 · Real: #24/51 — ranking shifts by 11 positions after RPP.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Quartile range $131,110 (bottom 25%) to $205,020 (top 25%). BLS suppresses the P10 or P90 tail for this state, typically because the top tier exceeds the OES wage cap.

Wage breakdown — Maryland

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$104,000	$99,424
P25 (lower quartile)	$131,110	$125,342
P50 (median)	$189,330	$181,000
P75 (upper quartile)	$205,020	$196,000
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$203,500	$194,547
Employment	2,190 Dentists in Maryland

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maryland index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	104.6
Goods	103.2
Services	108.7
Rents	119.9

Maryland's overall RPP (104.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Maryland (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$189,330	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$34,257	18.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$9,283	2–5.75% (graduated, +county piggyback 2.25–3.2%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$14,128	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$131,661	69.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$125,869	÷ (104.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maryland state-tax burden means for Dentist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $131,661 (69.5% of gross). After the 104.6 RPP, real take-home is $125,869. Local-tax overlay: Maryland counties piggyback 2.25–3.2% on state liability — Baltimore City and Howard / Montgomery / PG counties at the top of the range.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $172,790 for Dentists with mean pay of $196,100 and total employment of 113,490. Maryland sits at #13 on nominal pay and #24 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maryland falls 11 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in Maryland?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $189,330 for Dentists in Maryland as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $131,110 and the 75th-percentile is $205,020.
Why is the BEA RPP for Maryland different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maryland's overall index of 104.6 reflects rents 119.9, services 108.7, and goods 103.2.
Where does Maryland rank for Dentist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maryland ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
What are the limits of these Dentist salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maryland?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maryland.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Maryland?: BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Maryland, DSO-employed dentists typically start at or above BLS median with production-bonus upside but cap below long-tenure solo owner total earnings. Solo private practice in Maryland pays below DSO at the associate level but compounds via ownership equity, equipment depreciation, and tax-deferred retirement contributions over a 10-20 year career. Specialist dentists (orthodontists, oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists) in Maryland are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1021, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Maryland Dentist pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.