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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

29-1021 Dentists, General

Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care. Excludes “Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons” (29-1022), “Orthodontists” (29-1023), “Prosthodontists” (29-1024), and “Dentists, All Other Specialists” (29-1029).


National estimates for Dentists, General
Industry profile for Dentists, General
Geographic profile for Dentists, General

National estimates for Dentists, General:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Dentists, General:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
120,740 3.1 % $ 82.83 $ 172,290 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Dentists, General:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 32.77 $ 50.71 $ 74.54 $ 102.03 (5)
Annual Wage (2) $ 68,160 $ 105,480 $ 155,040 $ 212,220 (5)


Industry profile for Dentists, General:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Dentists, General are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Dentists, General, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Dentists, General:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 107,670 10.69 $ 83.72 $ 174,140
Outpatient Care Centers 3,110 0.30 $ 82.01 $ 170,580
Offices of Physicians 2,700 0.10 $ 79.93 $ 166,260
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 2,130 0.04 $ 60.83 $ 126,520
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 820 0.04 $ 94.18 $ 195,900

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Dentists, General:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 107,670 10.69 $ 83.72 $ 174,140
Outpatient Care Centers 3,110 0.30 $ 82.01 $ 170,580
Offices of Physicians 2,700 0.10 $ 79.93 $ 166,260
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 160 0.07 $ 74.84 $ 155,660
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 2,130 0.04 $ 60.83 $ 126,520

Top paying industries for Dentists, General:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 820 0.04 $ 94.18 $ 195,900
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 110 0.03 $ 89.40 $ 185,940
Offices of Dentists 107,670 10.69 $ 83.72 $ 174,140
Outpatient Care Centers 3,110 0.30 $ 82.01 $ 170,580
Offices of Physicians 2,700 0.10 $ 79.93 $ 166,260


Geographic profile for Dentists, General:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Dentists, General are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Dentists, General, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of dentists, general by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Dentists, General:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 18,240 1.03 1.27 (8) (8)
Texas 9,190 0.71 0.87 $ 78.32 $ 162,900
Florida 7,360 0.80 0.98 $ 82.18 $ 170,930
New York 6,530 0.72 0.88 $ 86.59 $ 180,110
Virginia 5,200 1.34 1.64 $ 83.07 $ 172,780


Map of location quotient of dentists, general by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dentists, General:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Virginia 5,200 1.34 1.64 $ 83.07 $ 172,780
New Mexico 1,010 1.23 1.51 $ 88.49 $ 184,060
Maryland 2,910 1.10 1.35 $ 75.94 $ 157,960
California 18,240 1.03 1.27 (8) (8)
South Carolina 2,220 1.03 1.26 $ 77.51 $ 161,210


Map of annual mean wages of dentists, general by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Dentists, General:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Delaware 330 0.72 0.89 $ 99.17 $ 206,270
Rhode Island 460 0.96 1.18 $ 98.45 $ 204,770
North Carolina 3,570 0.77 0.94 $ 97.38 $ 202,550
New Hampshire 510 0.77 0.95 $ 96.62 $ 200,970
Arkansas 1,020 0.83 1.02 $ 92.50 $ 192,400



Map of employment of dentists, general by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Dentists, General:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,570 1.24 1.52 (8) (8)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 6,750 0.74 0.90 $ 89.01 $ 185,130
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 4,210 1.39 1.70 $ 85.40 $ 177,640
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,470 0.91 1.12 $ 76.46 $ 159,030
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,580 0.84 1.03 $ 74.27 $ 154,490
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,510 0.91 1.11 $ 93.37 $ 194,200
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 2,450 0.93 1.14 $ 80.27 $ 166,960
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 2,340 0.87 1.06 $ 89.08 $ 185,280
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,140 0.78 0.96 (8) (8)
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 1,740 1.07 1.31 $ 76.89 $ 159,930


Map of location quotient of dentists, general by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dentists, General:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 130 2.43 2.98 $ 73.99 $ 153,910
Las Cruces, NM 130 1.77 2.17 $ 76.28 $ 158,670
Farmington, NM 70 1.71 2.09 (8) (8)
Santa Fe, NM 100 1.60 1.96 $ 84.60 $ 175,960
Rockford, IL 210 1.52 1.86 $ 75.63 $ 157,320
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC 120 1.51 1.85 $ 59.67 $ 124,110
Asheville, NC 290 1.48 1.81 $ 82.32 $ 171,220
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 70 1.48 1.81 $ 100.59 $ 209,230
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 450 1.43 1.75 $ 77.15 $ 160,480
Pine Bluff, AR 40 1.42 1.74 $ 97.94 $ 203,710


Map of annual mean wages of dentists, general by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Dentists, General:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 280 1.12 1.37 $ 139.84 $ 290,860
Manchester, NH 80 0.76 0.93 $ 139.57 $ 290,300
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 340 0.85 1.05 $ 123.88 $ 257,680
Burlington, NC 60 0.96 1.18 $ 120.96 $ 251,590
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 100 0.87 1.06 $ 115.53 $ 240,290
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 100 0.85 1.05 $ 112.43 $ 233,860
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 90 0.77 0.94 $ 111.52 $ 231,960
Akron, OH 150 0.49 0.60 $ 110.68 $ 230,220
Salinas, CA 120 0.65 0.79 $ 109.39 $ 227,520
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 50 0.97 1.19 $ 108.65 $ 226,000

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Dentists, General:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 220 0.58 0.71 $ 69.88 $ 145,360
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 210 1.64 2.01 (8) (8)
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 200 1.03 1.27 $ 79.89 $ 166,170
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 190 0.74 0.91 $ 80.26 $ 166,930
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 180 0.95 1.17 $ 80.00 $ 166,400

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dentists, General:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area 210 1.64 2.01 (8) (8)
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area 110 1.46 1.79 $ 63.44 $ 131,960
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 130 1.27 1.56 $ 88.08 $ 183,200
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 120 1.18 1.45 $ 80.00 $ 166,400
Central Utah nonmetropolitan area 60 1.11 1.36 $ 55.10 $ 114,610

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Dentists, General:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 60 0.43 0.53 $ 110.10 $ 229,010
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 80 0.52 0.63 $ 105.33 $ 219,090
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 70 0.65 0.80 $ 105.18 $ 218,770
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 120 0.99 1.21 $ 101.20 $ 210,490
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 170 0.69 0.84 $ 100.55 $ 209,140


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023