What 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.
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 notes 2023–2025 figures should be read with caution while masterfile maintenance changes are in progress.
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 (ADA Supply of Dentists). *Change in the inflation-adjusted mean since May 2015. "$239K+" = above the BLS reporting cap. BLS did not publish a 2025 general dentist figure for some states; their pages show the latest year available.
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 annual net income of dentists in private practice (owners and employees), by income year; the 2025 figures come from the 2026 survey. Medians the ADA did not publish (too few responses) are left out. Inflation adjustments use the CPI-U annual average (2025 dollars).
BLS figures are May estimates from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program and cover wage-and-salary dentists only. Values above the BLS reporting cap are not published.
Sources: ADA Health Policy Institute, Survey of Dental Practice (Income, Gross Billings, and Expenses, 2026) and Supply of Dentists in the U.S., 2001–2025; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2000–2025; BLS CPI-U; ADA/CODA Survey of Dental Education (tuition). Analysis: Dr. Charley Levy, Path32.