WA · FIPS 53 · West · State

Washington

48% stayed home, and residents fill 84% of Washington's seats.

600

students started dental school

#17 of 52 in the nation

47%

stayed in-state

280 students

320

left for another state

#14 most leavers

different schools attended

across 30 states

Destinations

Where Washington's students went

Matriculants from Washington by the state of their dental school, 2021–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Washington (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In WashingtonOut of state

University of WashingtonWA · Public
25742.8%
Oregon Health & Science UniversityOR · Public
315.2%
Midwestern University - AZAZ · Private
244.0%
Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesWA · Private
233.8%
Creighton UniversityNE · Private
203.3%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
203.3%
Roseman University of Health SciencesUT · Private
172.8%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
162.7%
New York UniversityNY · Private
152.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USCCA · Private
142.3%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2021 to 2025, 600 students from Washington started dental school, 17th in the nation. 47% stayed in Washington, 43% at an in-state public school.

The 320 who left went to 29 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Oregon Health & Science University (OR), with 31 students.

Washington's dental schools enrolled 355 students over the same years, 79% of them residents. California (21) and Florida (9) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Washington for dental school47%

Went to an in-state public school43%

Seats at Washington's schools filled by residents79%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Washington's 2 dental schools enrolled 355 students; 79% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Washington

Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesPrivate23 from WA
University of WashingtonPublic257 from WA

All 54 schools Washington students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Washington	WA	Public	257	42.8%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	31	5.2%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	24	4.0%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	23	3.8%
Creighton University	NE	Private	20	3.3%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	20	3.3%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	17	2.8%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	16	2.7%
New York University	NY	Private	15	2.5%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	14	2.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	14	2.3%
University of Utah	UT	Public	13	2.2%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	11	1.8%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	10	1.7%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	8	1.3%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	8	1.3%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	8	1.3%
University of New England	ME	Private	7	1.2%
Boston University	MA	Private	6	1.0%
Harvard University	MA	Private	6	1.0%
Tufts University	MA	Private	5	0.8%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	5	0.8%
Indiana University	IN	Public	4	0.7%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	4	0.7%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	4	0.7%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	4	0.7%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	4	0.7%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	3	0.5%
Columbia University	NY	Private	3	0.5%
Temple University	PA	Public	3	0.5%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	3	0.5%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	2	0.3%
Marquette University	WI	Private	2	0.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	2	0.3%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	2	0.3%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	2	0.3%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	2	0.3%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	2	0.3%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	1	0.2%
Howard University	DC	Private	1	0.2%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	1	0.2%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	1	0.2%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	1	0.2%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	1	0.2%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	1	0.2%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.2%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	1	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	1	0.2%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	1	0.2%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	1	0.2%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	1	0.2%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	1	0.2%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1	0.2%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.2%

1,169

students started dental school

#16 of 52 in the nation

48%

stayed in-state

558 students

611

left for another state

#14 most leavers

different schools attended

across 33 states

Destinations

Where Washington's students went

Matriculants from Washington by the state of their dental school, 2016–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Washington (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In WashingtonOut of state

University of WashingtonWA · Public
53545.8%
Midwestern University - AZAZ · Private
494.2%
Oregon Health & Science UniversityOR · Public
474.0%
Roseman University of Health SciencesUT · Private
413.5%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
393.3%
University of the PacificCA · Private
302.6%
Creighton UniversityNE · Private
292.5%
University of PennsylvaniaPA · Private
272.3%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USCCA · Private
232.0%
Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesWA · Private
232.0%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025, 1,169 students from Washington started dental school, 16th in the nation. 48% stayed in Washington, 46% at an in-state public school.

The 611 who left went to 32 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Midwestern University - AZ (AZ), with 49 students.

Washington's dental schools enrolled 668 students over the same years, 84% of them residents. California (24) and Arizona (12) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Washington for dental school48%

Went to an in-state public school46%

Seats at Washington's schools filled by residents84%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Washington's 2 dental schools enrolled 668 students; 84% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Washington

Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesPrivate23 from WA
University of WashingtonPublic535 from WA

All 60 schools Washington students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Washington	WA	Public	535	45.8%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	49	4.2%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	47	4.0%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	41	3.5%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	39	3.3%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	30	2.6%
Creighton University	NE	Private	29	2.5%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	27	2.3%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	23	2.0%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	23	2.0%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	23	2.0%
New York University	NY	Private	22	1.9%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	21	1.8%
University of Utah	UT	Public	19	1.6%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	18	1.5%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	18	1.5%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	16	1.4%
University of New England	ME	Private	15	1.3%
Tufts University	MA	Private	12	1.0%
Boston University	MA	Private	11	0.9%
Harvard University	MA	Private	11	0.9%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	10	0.9%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	10	0.9%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	9	0.8%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	9	0.8%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	8	0.7%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	7	0.6%
Columbia University	NY	Private	7	0.6%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	7	0.6%
Indiana University	IN	Public	6	0.5%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	6	0.5%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	5	0.4%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	4	0.3%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	4	0.3%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	3	0.3%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	3	0.3%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	3	0.3%
Temple University	PA	Public	3	0.3%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	3	0.3%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	3	0.3%
Howard University	DC	Private	2	0.2%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	2	0.2%
Marquette University	WI	Private	2	0.2%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	2	0.2%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	2	0.2%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	2	0.2%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	2	0.2%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	2	0.2%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	2	0.2%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	2	0.2%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	1	0.1%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	1	0.1%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	1	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	1	0.1%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	1	0.1%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	1	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	1	0.1%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1	0.1%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.1%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	1	0.1%

3,065

students started dental school

#14 of 52 in the nation

43%

stayed in-state

1,331 students

1,734

left for another state

#11 most leavers

different schools attended

across 35 states

Destinations

Where Washington's students went

Matriculants from Washington by the state of their dental school, 2000–2025. Hover a state for the count.

Washington (stayed home)1–4 students5–19 students20–49 students50–199 students200+ studentsNone

Top 10 schools

The most common picks

In WashingtonOut of state

University of WashingtonWA · Public
1,30842.7%
Loma Linda UniversityCA · Private
1344.4%
Midwestern University - AZAZ · Private
1073.5%
University of the PacificCA · Private
973.2%
Oregon Health & Science UniversityOR · Public
953.1%
New York UniversityNY · Private
933.0%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USCCA · Private
882.9%
Tufts UniversityMA · Private
882.9%
Creighton UniversityNE · Private
762.5%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral HealthAZ · Private
632.1%

The story

What the numbers say

From 2000 to 2025, 3,065 students from Washington started dental school, 14th in the nation. 43% stayed in Washington, 43% at an in-state public school.

The 1,734 who left went to 34 other states. The most popular out-of-state school was Loma Linda University (CA), with 134 students.

Washington's dental schools enrolled 1,605 students over the same years, 83% of them residents. Arizona (39) and California (39) sent the most outsiders.

Stayed in Washington for dental school43%

Went to an in-state public school43%

Seats at Washington's schools filled by residents83%

Inbound

Who else comes here

Washington's 2 dental schools enrolled 1,605 students; 83% were residents. Top out-of-state feeders:

Home schools

Dental schools in Washington

Pacific Northwest University of Health SciencesPrivate23 from WA
University of WashingtonPublic1,308 from WA

All 64 schools Washington students attended

School	State	Type	Students	Share
University of Washington	WA	Public	1,308	42.7%
Loma Linda University	CA	Private	134	4.4%
Midwestern University - AZ	AZ	Private	107	3.5%
University of the Pacific	CA	Private	97	3.2%
Oregon Health & Science University	OR	Public	95	3.1%
New York University	NY	Private	93	3.0%
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC	CA	Private	88	2.9%
Tufts University	MA	Private	88	2.9%
Creighton University	NE	Private	76	2.5%
Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health	AZ	Private	63	2.1%
Roseman University of Health Sciences	UT	Private	60	2.0%
University of Pennsylvania	PA	Private	53	1.7%
University of Michigan	MI	Public	47	1.5%
Boston University	MA	Private	46	1.5%
Western University of Health Sciences	CA	Private	45	1.5%
Case Western Reserve University	OH	Private	42	1.4%
University of California, San Francisco	CA	Public	35	1.1%
University of Nevada, Las Vegas	NV	Public	35	1.1%
Temple University	PA	Public	34	1.1%
Midwestern University - IL	IL	Private	32	1.0%
Columbia University	NY	Private	27	0.9%
Harvard University	MA	Private	27	0.9%
Marquette University	WI	Private	26	0.8%
University of Pittsburgh	PA	Public	26	0.8%
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences	WA	Private	23	0.8%
Indiana University	IN	Public	22	0.7%
University of Louisville	KY	Public	21	0.7%
Nova Southeastern University	FL	Private	20	0.7%
University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	20	0.7%
University of Utah	UT	Public	20	0.7%
University of Maryland	MD	Public	19	0.6%
University of Minnesota	MN	Public	19	0.6%
Ohio State University	OH	Public	16	0.5%
Touro College of Dental Medicine	NY	Private	16	0.5%
University at Buffalo	NY	Public	15	0.5%
University of Detroit Mercy	MI	Private	15	0.5%
University of New England	ME	Private	15	0.5%
University of Colorado	CO	Public	14	0.5%
LECOM College of Dental Medicine	FL	Private	13	0.4%
University of Connecticut	CT	Public	12	0.4%
University of North Carolina	NC	Public	10	0.3%
Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	Public	9	0.3%
Meharry Medical College	TN	Private	8	0.3%
Howard University	DC	Private	7	0.2%
University of Iowa	IA	Public	7	0.2%
University of Kentucky	KY	Public	7	0.2%
Medical University of South Carolina	SC	Public	6	0.2%
University of Oklahoma	OK	Public	6	0.2%
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine	NJ	Public	5	0.2%
Stony Brook University	NY	Public	5	0.2%
University of Missouri, Kansas City	MO	Public	5	0.2%
Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health	MO	Private	4	0.1%
University of Nebraska Medical Center	NE	Public	4	0.1%
LSU Health Sciences Center	LA	Public	3	0.1%
University of Alabama	AL	Public	3	0.1%
Lincoln Memorial University	TN	Private	2	0.1%
Texas A&M University	TX	Public	2	0.1%
UT Health San Antonio	TX	Public	2	0.1%
California Northstate University	CA	Private	1	0.0%
Southern Illinois University	IL	Public	1	0.0%
University of Florida	FL	Public	1	0.0%
University of Tennessee	TN	Public	1	0.0%
University of Texas at Houston	TX	Public	1	0.0%
West Virginia University	WV	Public	1	0.0%

Staying home, 2000–2025

Are more Washington students staying in-state?

In the last five years, 46% of Washington's first-year dental students stayed in-state, up from 39% in 2000–2004. Nationally, 57% stayed home in 2025, down from 66% in 2000.

Share of first-year students who stayed in-state

WashingtonU.S.

Dentist workforce, 2001–2025

Dentists working in Washington

5,630 dentists work in Washington: 70.4 per 100,000 people, above the U.S. rate of 60.0. That's #8 of 51 for dentists per person. The number of dentists is up 45% since 2001.

5,630dentists, 2025

70.4per 100,000 people (U.S. 60.0)

#8of 51 in dentists per person

3,887dentists in 2001 (64.9 per 100K)

Dentists per 100,000 people

WashingtonU.S.

Dentists working in dentistry, counted where they work. *The ADA advises caution with 2023–2025 figures. Source: ADA.

Dentist migration, 2019–2024

Are dentists moving to Washington?

Washington gained a net 90 dentists from other states from 2019 to 2024 (+2.0% of its 2019 dentists), #15 of 51. The state's overall population changed by −0.3% from domestic migration (2020–2025).

All dentists+2.0%+90 net · #15 of 51431 moved in, 341 moved out

Early career (under 10 yrs)+5.4%+80 net · #15 of 51308 moved in, 228 moved out

10+ years in practice+0.3%+10 net · #26 of 51123 moved in, 113 moved out

Early-career specialists+8.2%+16 net · #16 of 5140 moved in, 24 moved out

Net dentists Washington gained from / lost to each state:+15 or more+5 to 14+1 to 4−1 to 4−5 to 14−15 or more

Came from

California80
Oregon49
Texas44
New York21
Illinois20

Moved to

California48
Oregon37
Texas32
Idaho26
Arizona23

Dentists active in both 2019 and 2024, so new graduates and retirees are not counted. Source: ADA.

What dentists earn in Washington →