How much do dentists make?

Dentist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Dentists, General (SOC 29-1021) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Dentists in the US earned a median of $170,950 a year ($82.19 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $125,710 to $224,040.

Median annual pay: $170,950; Mean $191,350
Median hourly pay: $82.19; Mean $91.99
Typical range (10th–90th): $86.3K–$320K; $86,250 to $319,630
US jobs: 124,390; +5.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a dentist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: North Dakota

Dentist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$86,250
25th percentile$125,710
Median$170,950
75th percentile$224,040
90th percentile$319,630

Half of all dentists earned more than $170,950 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $86,250; the top 10% made over $319,630. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $125,710 to $224,040.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$86,250	$41.47	$7,188
25th	$125,710	$60.44	$10,476
Median (50th)	$170,950	$82.19	$14,246
75th	$224,040	$107.71	$18,670
90th	$319,630	$153.67	$26,636
Mean (average)	$191,350	$91.99	$15,946

Dentist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for dentists by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. Alaska $230,990
2. North Dakota $220,660
3. Minnesota $219,200
4. Tennessee $215,290
5. Oregon $211,690

Lowest-paying states

47. Wyoming $123,830
46. Idaho $124,190
45. Utah $133,320
44. Kentucky $134,160
43. Mississippi $143,660

Best after cost of living: North Dakota. Its median of $220,660 is worth about $248,047 at national-average prices, more than in Alaska once prices are counted.


Alabama	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Alaska	$230,990	1	$225,667	4	$111.05	310	0.94
Arizona	$194,180	12	$192,874	17	$93.36	3,470	1.07
Arkansas	$178,930	18	$205,816	12	$86.02	1,210	0.93
California	$165,950	33	$149,883	43	$79.79	16,770	0.92
Colorado	$166,240	31	$161,317	35	$79.92	2,940	1.02
Connecticut	$160,440	38	$154,850	41	$77.13	1,950	1.15
Delaware	—	—	—	—	—	390	0.81
District of Columbia	—	—	—	—	—	340	0.48
Florida	$174,900	20	$169,126	29	$84.09	9,320	0.94
Georgia	$206,760	8	$214,720	8	$99.41	2,620	0.54
Hawaii	$167,820	27	$152,632	42	$80.68	830	1.33
Idaho	$124,190	46	$130,050	47	$59.71	650	0.76
Illinois	$156,110	41	$156,176	40	$75.06	6,940	1.14
Indiana	$166,650	30	$178,562	21	$80.12	2,300	0.72
Iowa	$181,520	16	$206,832	10	$87.27	1,240	0.80
Kansas	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kentucky	$134,160	44	$148,804	44	$64.50	790	0.39
Louisiana	$170,750	22	$193,579	16	$82.09	1,500	0.78
Maine	$209,200	6	$215,559	7	$100.58	310	0.48
Maryland	$168,500	26	$160,539	36	$81.01	2,100	0.76
Massachusetts	$181,600	15	$171,714	25	$87.31	2,780	0.77
Michigan	$169,930	24	$176,611	24	$81.70	3,620	0.82
Minnesota	$219,200	3	$222,265	5	$105.39	2,370	0.81
Mississippi	$143,660	43	$165,216	33	$69.07	740	0.64
Missouri	$204,960	9	$225,685	3	$98.54	2,440	0.83
Montana	$167,200	29	$176,660	23	$80.39	380	0.75
Nebraska	$179,750	17	$199,494	14	$86.42	790	0.77
Nevada	$162,200	36	$162,234	34	$77.98	1,100	0.71
New Hampshire	$177,480	19	$170,384	26	$85.33	500	0.72
New Jersey	$171,330	21	$157,465	39	$82.37	2,980	0.69
New Mexico	$155,260	42	$168,373	30	$74.64	780	0.89
New York	$183,060	14	$169,624	27	$88.01	7,340	0.76
North Carolina	$207,000	7	$219,452	6	$99.52	4,140	0.84
North Dakota	$220,660	2	$248,047	1	$106.09	260	0.61
Ohio	$167,410	28	$180,449	20	$80.49	2,790	0.50
Oklahoma	$166,170	32	$189,167	19	$79.89	980	0.58
Oregon	$211,690	5	$204,806	13	$101.77	1,660	0.84
Pennsylvania	$163,390	34	$167,456	31	$78.56	4,460	0.74
Rhode Island	$161,560	37	$157,959	38	$77.67	360	0.72
South Carolina	$158,640	39	$169,218	28	$76.27	2,140	0.93
South Dakota	$158,140	40	$178,516	22	$76.03	390	0.84
Tennessee	$215,290	4	$234,342	2	$103.51	2,200	0.67
Texas	$162,360	35	$167,283	32	$78.06	8,920	0.63
Utah	$133,320	45	$134,852	45	$64.10	1,020	0.59
Vermont	$204,960	10	$209,233	9	$98.54	240	0.80
Virginia	$197,110	11	$194,958	15	$94.76	4,140	1.01
Washington	$169,730	25	$158,607	37	$81.60	3,240	0.91
West Virginia	$170,370	23	$190,364	18	$81.91	420	0.60
Wisconsin	$193,690	13	$205,845	11	$93.12	2,560	0.87
Wyoming	$123,830	47	$133,594	46	$59.53	240	0.85

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (4 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for dentists

315 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	$241,850	$236,142	450
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$238,040	$258,237	280
Columbia, SC	$228,820	$244,304	480
Anchorage, AK	$228,030	$216,306	180
Evansville, IN	$225,620	$246,504	70
Bend, OR	$224,990	$217,157	120
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$222,690	$222,561	1,710
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	$222,430	$218,901	60
Portland-South Portland, ME	$221,190	$217,155	150
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$219,980	$209,861	1,760

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	7,240	$190,010	$168,803
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	6,300	$139,990	$123,268
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	5,910	$156,100	$150,683
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,270	$172,210	$150,856
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	3,040	$184,540	$169,483
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,890	$179,990	$174,595
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	2,700	$194,180	$187,948
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	2,570	$163,390	$159,321
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	2,090	$202,060	$174,773
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	1,980	$168,620	$159,403

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves dentist pay: employers and settings

Ownership and work setting shape a general dentist's income. Offices of dentists employ 89.9% of them at a median of $169,900. Outpatient care centers pay a median of $194,220 and employment services, which place dentists in temporary or contract roles, pay $193,060. General hospitals pay much less, a median of $93,890. These wage figures do not capture practice profits, so a self-employed owner's earnings can differ a lot from an associate's salary.

Location matters as well. The median is highest in Alaska at $230,990, followed by North Dakota at $220,660, Minnesota at $219,200, Tennessee at $215,290, and Oregon at $211,690. The lowest are Utah at $133,320, Idaho at $124,190, and Wyoming at $123,830. Once living costs are counted, North Dakota ranks first, at $248,047.

Pay is spread widely, from $86,250, the 10th percentile, to $319,630, the 90th. That gap reflects hours, ownership, patient mix and location, not just years in practice. Many dentists work fewer than 40 hours a week, which also pulls annual totals down.

Where dentists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Dentists	89.9%	$169,900
Outpatient Care Centers	2.9%	$194,220
Offices of Physicians	2.7%	$170,950
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1.6%	$93,890
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	0.6%	$191,150
Employment Services	0.5%	$193,060

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	121,980	$170,900
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,190	$178,150
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,220	$176,300

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Dentist pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$171K $153K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $152,700 in 2015 to $170,950 in 2025, up 12% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $206,420 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 17% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What dentists do

A dentist, or general dentist, diagnoses and treats problems of the teeth, gums and jaw. In a typical day that means reading x-rays, numbing patients, drilling out decay and placing fillings, fitting crowns and bridges, pulling teeth that cannot be saved and doing some root canals. Dentists also write prescriptions and plan longer courses of treatment, such as dentures or implants.

Nearly nine in ten general dentists in our data work in dental offices. Smaller groups work in outpatient clinics, physicians' offices, hospitals and state government agencies. A dentist leads a small team: hygienists do most cleanings, dental assistants work chairside, and lab technicians make crowns and dentures from the dentist's impressions or scans.

Many dentists are also small-business owners. BLS counts 12.4% of general dentists as self-employed, and owners spend part of their week hiring staff, buying equipment and dealing with insurance claims. The clinical work is close and precise, done seated in protective gear for hours at a time.

A typical day

Look over x-rays and examine the mouth to find decay, gum disease, cracks and infections
Give local anesthetic, then remove decay and fill or rebuild damaged teeth
Prepare teeth for crowns and bridges and take impressions or digital scans for the lab
Extract broken or infected teeth and prescribe antibiotics or pain medication
Explain treatment options and costs so patients can decide on a plan
Check the hygienist's findings at cleaning visits and examine each patient
Run the practice: hire and supervise staff, order supplies, handle insurance and records

Also called: general dentist, dds (dental surgery doctor), dmd (dental medicine doctor), endodontist, family dentist, pediatric dentist, pedodontist, periodontist.

How to become a dentist

Full guide

To become a dentist you earn a bachelor's degree with science prerequisites, take the Dental Admission Test, finish a 4-year DDS or DMD program at a CODA-accredited dental school, and pass the INBDE and a clinical licensure exam to get a state license. It usually takes 8 years after high school.

Typical time: 8 years; Fastest: About 6-7 years
Minimum education: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from a CODA-accredited dental school
License: Required in all 50 states and DC
Typical training cost: $161K–$426K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a dentist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 8 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $161K–$426K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $170,950; $119,970 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 94–249%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($119,970 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 1.3–3.6 years after training ends (8 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for dentists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +5.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 141,900; 150,000 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 4,200; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 12.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects general dentist jobs to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 141,900 to 150,000. Growth for all occupations is 3.5%, so dentistry is growing faster than average. There should be about 4,200 openings a year, most of them created when dentists retire or leave the field.

The main driver is age. Older adults keep more of their natural teeth than past generations did, so they need fillings, crowns, gum treatment and implants for longer. Demand for cosmetic work and care for oral disease adds to it.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Dentist salary FAQ

How much do dentists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for dentists was $82.19 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $41.47 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $153.67. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays dentists the most?

Alaska has the highest median pay for dentists, $230,990 a year, followed by North Dakota ($220,660) and Minnesota ($219,200). After adjusting for each state's price level, North Dakota comes out ahead at about $248,047 in national-average dollars.

Do dentists make $200,000 a year?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of dentists earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $170,950, and the top 10% earn more than $319,630. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do dentists make more working for themselves or for a practice?

The wage data in our tables covers employees, not the profits owners take home. About 12.4% of general dentists are self-employed. Owners carry the costs of equipment, staff and rent, and their income depends on how busy and well run the practice is. Many new graduates start as salaried associates or in group practices before buying into or opening a practice.

Which states have the most dentist jobs?

California has the most general dentists, with 16,770. Florida has 9,320, Texas 8,920, New York 7,340 and Illinois 6,940. Big states have more jobs because they have more people and more practices, but they do not lead on pay. The highest medians are in Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota and Tennessee, none of which is among the five largest by employment.

Has dentist pay kept up with inflation?

No. The median rose from $152,700 in 2015 to $170,950 in 2025. But the 2015 figure is worth $206,420 in 2025 dollars, so after inflation the typical employed general dentist earns less in real terms than a decade earlier. Keep in mind these figures cover employed dentists, not practice owners' profits.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1021
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1021.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Dentists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Dental Admission Test (DAT) and 2026 DAT Candidate Guide, American Dental Association · checked October 28, 2026
Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) 2026 Candidate Guide, Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations · checked October 28, 2026
ADEX Dental, CDCA-WREB-CITA · checked October 28, 2026
Costs of Attendance, DDS Program, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine · checked October 28, 2026
2026-27 Cost of Attendance: Dentistry, DDS, University of Maryland, Baltimore · checked October 28, 2026
Prerequisites and ADEA AADSAS, American Dental Education Association · checked October 28, 2026
Find a Program, Commission on Dental Accreditation · checked October 28, 2026
CRDTS Dental Examination, Central Regional Dental Testing Service · checked October 28, 2026
DLOSCE and 2026 DLOSCE Candidate Guide, Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
High School and College Students: Becoming a Dentist, American Dental Association · checked October 28, 2026

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