By Aijaz Alam
How much do dentists make in the US?
Dentists in the US earned a median annual wage of $176,110 in May 2025, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Specialty matters most: oral and maxillofacial surgeons had a median of $352,220 and general dentists $170,950. The ADA's own survey puts average net income for general dentists in private practice at $215,320 in 2025.
- $176,110Median annual wage, all US dentistsBLS, May 2025
- $170,950Median annual wage, general dentistsBLS OEWS, May 2025; mean $191,350
- $215,320Average net income, general dentists in private practiceADA HPI Survey of Dental Practice, 2025
- 6%Projected growth in dentist jobs, 2025-2035BLS; 3% for all occupations
The numbers
The full breakdown
Median annual wage of US dentists by specialty, May 2025
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employed (OEWS) |
|---|---|---|
| Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | $352,220 | 4,910 |
| Prosthodontists | $311,180 | 870 |
| Orthodontists | $289,140 | 6,210 |
| Dentists, all other specialists | $224,990 | 5,230 |
| Dentists, general | $170,950 | 124,390 |
Medians as listed on the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook Pay tab. Employment is the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) national estimate for each occupation, read through the BLS public API. The OOH counts about 161,400 dentist jobs in 2025, a different measure.
How dentist pay is spread, May 2025
| Measure | All dentists | General dentists |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $89,100 | $86,250 |
| 25th percentile | Not given | $125,710 |
| Median | $176,110 | $170,950 |
| 75th percentile | Not given | $224,040 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $337,210 | $319,630 |
| Mean annual wage | Not given | $191,350 |
| Median hourly wage | $84.67 | $82.19 |
| Mean hourly wage | Not given | $91.99 |
All dentists: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook Pay tab. General dentists: OEWS May 2025 national estimates (occupation 29-1021), read through the BLS public API. The OOH gives only the median (annual and hourly) and the 10th and 90th percentiles for all dentists.
Median annual wage of dentists in the top industries, May 2025
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $219,750 |
| Outpatient care centers | $195,330 |
| Offices of dentists | $173,760 |
| Offices of physicians | $172,980 |
General dentists' median annual wage by state, May 2025: highest, largest and lowest
| State | Median annual wage | General dentists employed |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $230,990 | 310 |
| North Dakota | $220,660 | 260 |
| Minnesota | $219,200 | 2,370 |
| Tennessee | $215,290 | 2,200 |
| Oregon | $211,690 | 1,660 |
| New York | $183,060 | 7,340 |
| Florida | $174,900 | 9,320 |
| California | $165,950 | 16,770 |
| Texas | $162,360 | 8,920 |
| Mississippi | $143,660 | 740 |
| Kentucky | $134,160 | 790 |
| Utah | $133,320 | 1,020 |
| Idaho | $124,190 | 650 |
| Wyoming | $123,830 | 240 |
The five highest and five lowest state medians, with the four states that employ the most general dentists in between. OEWS May 2025 state estimates for occupation 29-1021, read through the BLS public API. BLS did not release a median for Delaware or the District of Columbia, and the API returned no data for Alabama or Kansas.
Dentist jobs and outlook, BLS
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Dentist jobs, 2025 | 161,400 |
| Projected dentist jobs, 2035 | 170,400 |
| Projected growth, 2025-2035 | 6% (3% for all occupations) |
| Openings each year, on average | About 4,800 |
| Share of dentists who are self-employed | 12% |
| Share working in offices of dentists | 78% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections. Openings include replacing dentists who retire or change occupation.
Over time
General dentists' pay in May of each year
| Year | Median annual wage | Mean annual wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $153,900 | $173,860 | 105,620 |
| 2017 | $151,440 | $174,110 | 110,400 |
| 2018 | $151,850 | $175,840 | 113,000 |
| 2019 | $155,600 | $178,260 | 110,730 |
| 2020 | $158,940 | $180,830 | 95,920 |
| 2021 | $160,370 | $167,160 | 108,680 |
| 2022 | $155,040 | $172,290 | 120,740 |
| 2023 | $166,300 | $191,750 | 121,640 |
| 2025 | $170,950 | $191,350 | 124,390 |
OEWS national estimates for general dentists (29-1021), from the BLS May archive page for each year (2016-2023) and the BLS public API (2025). The May 2024 archive page was not reachable on bls.gov, so 2024 is missing. Not adjusted for inflation.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| $176,110 | May 2025 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook | Median wage of all dentists, general and specialist |
| $191,350 | May 2025 | BLS OEWS | Mean wage of general dentists; a few high earners lift the mean above the median |
| $215,320 | 2025 | ADA Health Policy Institute, Survey of Dental Practice | Average net income of general dentists in private practice |
| $346,520 | 2025 | ADA Health Policy Institute, Survey of Dental Practice | Average net income of specialists in private practice |
Dentist pay figures differ because they measure different people and different kinds of income. The Bureau of Labor Statistics median of $176,110 covers all dentists in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, general and specialist, and is the middle value: half earned more and half less. The BLS mean for general dentists, $191,350, is higher than their median of $170,950 because a minority of high earners pulls the average up. The American Dental Association's Survey of Dental Practice reports the average net income of dentists in private practice: $215,320 for general dentists and $346,520 for specialists in 2025. The ADA itself quotes the BLS mean next to its own figure, so neither is a correction of the other. For a typical dentist's wage, quote the BLS median and its date; for what practice owners and associates take home, quote the ADA average and say it is an average.
What it means
How to use these numbers
A typical US dentist earns about $176,000 a year, roughly three and a half times the median for all workers ($50,980). Specialists earn far more: the median oral and maxillofacial surgeon makes about twice what a general dentist does.
Where a dentist works shifts pay too. General dentists' medians run from about $124,000 in Wyoming and Idaho to over $230,000 in Alaska, and the highest-paying states are not the big coastal markets. California, with the most general dentists, sits below the national median.
Pay has risen in money terms, from $153,900 for general dentists in 2016 to $170,950 in 2025, but the ADA says inflation-adjusted earnings have been falling because practice costs grow faster than fees. For a practice owner, that squeeze is the reason marketing spend has to bring in patients at a cost the practice can carry.
If you are comparing offers, use the state and specialty rows, not the national figure.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publisher
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dentists; Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics); American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (Survey of Dental Practice)
- Sample
- OEWS: employer survey estimates for May of each year, national and by state. ADA: Survey of Dental Practice of dentists in private practice.
- Definition
- Median annual wage: the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more and half earned less. ADA net income: average income of private-practice dentists.
- Released
- OOH Dentists page last modified 27 August 2026 (May 2025 wages); ADA 2025 income figures on the HPI dental practice research page
- Checked at source
- 31 October 2026: bls.gov OOH Dentists page, OEWS archive pages for 2016-2023, the BLS public API (May 2025 OEWS series) and the ADA HPI dental practice research and income pages
- Next release
- BLS publishes OEWS wages once a year; May 2026 estimates are next
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics Official data
- Health Policy Institute research and data, American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute Industry body
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FAQ
More questions people ask
How much do orthodontists make?
Orthodontists had a median annual wage of $289,140 in May 2025, per BLS, with about 6,210 employed. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons ($352,220) and prosthodontists ($311,180) earned more.
How much does a dentist make per hour?
All dentists had a median hourly wage of $84.67 in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). General dentists had a median of $82.19 and a mean of $91.99 an hour (BLS OEWS).
Which state pays dentists the most?
Alaska, where general dentists had a median of $230,990 in May 2025, followed by North Dakota ($220,660) and Minnesota ($219,200). Wyoming was lowest of the states with published data, at $123,830.
Is dentist pay going up?
In money terms, yes: general dentists' median rose from $153,900 in 2016 to $170,950 in 2025, about 11% before inflation. The ADA says dentists' inflation-adjusted earnings have been decreasing.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute). Free to cite with a link to this page.