PathWhat dentists earn
The typical general dentist took home $185K in 2025. After inflation, that’s 24% less than in 2000.
Specialists earn more, but not all by the same margin
ADA median net income (latest year published for each specialty) and BLS mean wage for employed dentists, May 2025.
The ADA doesn't publish a median when too few dentists of a specialty answer; the year in brackets is the latest one published. *BLS groups endodontists, periodontists, pediatric dentists and other specialists together.
How dentists compare with physicians, CRNAs, pharmacists and optometrists
Median wage of employees in each profession. Dentists ($176K) earn less than physicians ($271K) and nurse anesthetists ($237K), and more than pharmacists ($141K) and optometrists ($137K). Bars show the middle half of earners, 25th to 75th percentile; the tick is the median.
| Profession | Median | Mean | Employed | School after college (years) | 10-yr change* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiologists | $391,490 | $360,570 | 38,760 | 4 + 4 residency | — |
| Surgeons | $369,540 | $364,360 | 49,380 | 4 + 5–7 residency | — |
| Physicians (all) | $271,090 | $277,260 | 754,760 | 4 + 3–7 residency | — |
| Internal medicine physicians | $256,560 | $267,200 | 67,150 | 4 + 3 residency | — |
| Family medicine physicians | $244,180 | $255,820 | 107,510 | 4 + 3 residency | — |
| Nurse anesthetists (CRNA) | $236,590 | $248,320 | 51,840 | 3 (after nursing + ICU work) | +14% |
| Pediatricians | $210,040 | $212,110 | 39,390 | 4 + 3 residency | — |
| Dentists (all) | $176,110 | $202,280 | 141,610 | 4 | -16% |
| General dentists | $170,950 | $191,350 | 124,390 | 4 | -18% |
| Podiatrists | $160,300 | $175,480 | 9,680 | 4 + 3 residency | -5% |
| Lawyers | $159,670 | $185,840 | 754,500 | 3 | +0% |
| Pharmacists | $140,910 | $140,920 | 321,970 | 4 | -13% |
| Optometrists | $136,570 | $141,550 | 42,790 | 4 | -10% |
| Physician assistants | $135,880 | $141,280 | 162,150 | about 2.5 | +5% |
| Nurse practitioners | $132,300 | $137,300 | 323,040 | 2–3 (after nursing) | 0% |
| Veterinarians | $130,100 | $142,680 | 83,900 | 4 | +6% |
| Dental hygienists | $98,100 | $98,990 | 222,740 | 2–4 (no college first) | — |
BLS counts employees only, so these figures understate what self-employed owners earn. The ADA row includes owners. *Change in the mean wage since May 2015, after inflation.
Raises that didn't keep up with inflation
Median net income of general dentists rose from $130,000 in 2000 to $185,010 in 2025. In 2025 dollars it fell from $243,046 to $185,010. Hover a year for the numbers.
In 2025 dollars
In dollars of each year
Owning pays
Median net income by practice type. Group-practice owners earn the most; employed dentists the least.
General Practitioners
Specialists
A wide range
The middle half of dentists in each group: 25th percentile to 75th, with the median marked.
BLS, employed general dentists, May 2025: 10th percentile $86,250, median $170,950, 90th percentile $319,630.
205,088 dentists, and a changing profession
Dentists working in dentistry grew from 163,376 in 2001 to 205,088 in 2025 (57.3 to 60.0 per 100,000 people). Women went from 16% to 39% of dentists, and the share 65 or older from 9% to 15%.
Specialists by practice area, 2025, and change since 2001. General dentists: 161,733 (+24%). A dentist certified in two areas counts in both.
Share of all dentists working in dentistry in 2025; the black tick marks 2001. The ADA advises caution with 2023–2025 figures.
Where general dentists earn the most
Mean wage of employed general dentists. Highest: Missouri ($242K), Oregon ($240K), Maine ($237K). Lowest: Puerto Rico ($127K), Idaho ($139K), Utah ($145K). Click a state for its page.
| Missouri | 1 | $241,580 | $204,960 | 3,134 | 50.0 | +7% |
| Oregon | 2 | $240,170 | $211,690 | 2,790 | 65.3 | -9% |
| Maine | 3 | $237,360 | $209,200 | 754 | 53.3 | -6% |
| Hawaii | 4 | $227,370 | $167,820 | 1,152 | 80.4 | +8% |
| Massachusetts | 5 | $223,200 | $181,600 | 5,849 | 81.8 | -8% |
| North Dakota | 6 | $222,340 | $220,660 | 385 | 48.2 | -24% |
| Alaska | 7 | $215,360 | $230,990 | 574 | 77.8 | -27% |
| Vermont | 8 | $214,130 | $204,960 | 348 | 54.0 | -13% |
| Georgia | 9 | $214,040 | $206,760 | 5,404 | 47.8 | -11% |
| Minnesota | 10 | $211,780 | $219,200 | 3,297 | 56.5 | -19% |
| Tennessee | 11 | $210,700 | $215,290 | 3,473 | 47.5 | -12% |
| North Carolina | 12 | $207,550 | $207,000 | 6,557 | 58.6 | -28% |
| Wisconsin | 13 | $203,600 | $193,690 | 3,363 | 56.3 | -26% |
| New York | 14 | $202,040 | $183,060 | 14,286 | 71.4 | -14% |
| West Virginia | 15 | $200,640 | $170,370 | 860 | 48.7 | -10% |
| New Hampshire | 16 | $200,420 | $177,480 | 882 | 62.3 | -32% |
| Iowa | 17 | $198,470 | $181,520 | 1,572 | 48.5 | -21% |
| New Jersey | 18 | $198,290 | $171,330 | 7,385 | 77.3 | -12% |
| Virginia | 19 | $197,820 | $197,110 | 5,792 | 65.2 | -7% |
| Florida | 20 | $195,930 | $174,900 | 12,635 | 53.9 | -15% |
| Washington | 21 | $195,810 | $169,730 | 5,630 | 70.4 | -21% |
| Indiana | 22 | $195,140 | $166,650 | 3,209 | 46.0 | -2% |
| Illinois | 23 | $193,050 | $156,110 | 8,511 | 66.9 | -5% |
| Michigan | 24 | $188,930 | $169,930 | 5,883 | 58.1 | -18% |
| Oklahoma | 25 | $188,280 | $166,170 | 1,975 | 47.9 | -11% |
| Nebraska | 26 | $186,420 | $179,750 | 1,279 | 63.4 | -11% |
| Maryland | 27 | $185,740 | $168,500 | 4,307 | 68.7 | -14% |
| New Mexico | 28 | $185,010 | $155,260 | 1,011 | 47.6 | -20% |
| Connecticut | 29 | $183,990 | $160,440 | 2,511 | 68.1 | -28% |
| South Carolina | 30 | $181,570 | $158,640 | 2,509 | 45.0 | -32% |
| Arizona | 31 | $181,040 | $194,180 | 4,372 | 57.4 | -14% |
| Ohio | 32 | $180,440 | $167,410 | 5,827 | 49.0 | -30% |
| Nevada | 33 | $178,460 | $162,200 | 1,913 | 58.3 | -33% |
| Texas | 34 | $178,360 | $162,360 | 16,761 | 52.9 | -24% |
| Louisiana | 35 | $176,540 | $170,750 | 2,187 | 47.4 | -7% |
| Arkansas | 36 | $174,280 | $178,930 | 1,270 | 40.8 | -25% |
| Pennsylvania | 37 | $172,710 | $163,390 | 7,007 | 53.6 | -16% |
| California | 38 | $170,690 | $165,950 | 30,647 | 77.9 | -26% |
| Montana | 39 | $168,460 | $167,200 | 628 | 54.9 | -16% |
| South Dakota | 40 | $164,030 | $158,140 | 493 | 52.7 | -21% |
| Rhode Island | 41 | $162,440 | $161,560 | 569 | 51.0 | -34% |
| Colorado | 42 | $160,810 | $166,240 | 4,077 | 67.8 | -34% |
| Kentucky | 43 | $157,630 | $134,160 | 2,458 | 53.4 | -31% |
| Mississippi | 44 | $149,300 | $143,660 | 1,285 | 43.5 | -38% |
| Wyoming | 45 | $146,240 | $123,830 | 295 | 50.1 | -37% |
| Utah | 46 | $144,880 | $133,320 | 2,101 | 59.4 | -12% |
| Idaho | 47 | $139,320 | $124,190 | 1,102 | 54.3 | -46% |
| Puerto Rico | 48 | $126,590 | $107,560 | — | — | +50% |
| Alabama | — | — | — | 2,109 | 40.6 | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — | 476 | 44.9 | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — | 700 | 100.9 | — |
| Kansas | — | — | — | 1,494 | 50.2 | — |
†All dentists working in the state in 2025, owners included. *Change in the inflation-adjusted mean since May 2015. "$239K+" = above the BLS reporting cap.
School now costs more than a year of income
Median 4-year cost of school (tuition and mandatory fees) divided by the median general dentist's net income. In 2000, a public school cost residents 0.44× a year's income; in 2025 it's 1.24×. Private school went from 1.08× to 2.24×.
ADA figures are median net income of dentists in private practice, owners and employees. BLS figures cover employees only.
Sources: ADA; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Analysis: Dr. Charley Levy, Path32.