Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Median $352,220
Occupation · SOC 29-1021
Dentists, General: pay and where the jobs are
What dentists, general earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$170,950 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $191,350
- Median hourly wage
- $82.19
- Mean hourly wage
- $91.99
- Employment
- 124,390
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1021.
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How much do dentists, general make?
The median annual wage for dentists, general was $170,950 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $86,250 and the highest-paid 10% more than $319,630. As an hourly rate, the median is $82.19. About 124,390 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($230,990), North Dakota ($220,660) and Minnesota ($219,200). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for dentists, general looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $86,250 | $41.47 | $7,188 | $5,792 |
| 25th percentile | $125,710 | $60.44 | $10,476 | $8,099 |
| Median | $170,950 | $82.19 | $14,246 | $10,676 |
| 75th percentile | $224,040 | $107.71 | $18,670 | $13,659 |
| 90th percentile | $319,630 | $153.67 | $26,636 | $18,348 |
Dentists, General: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$178,532 take-home in national prices
2
$172,436 take-home in national prices
3
$163,960 take-home in national prices
Where a median dentists, general paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 310 | $230,990 | $124,200 | $320,440 | $167,827 | $163,960 |
| North Dakota | 260 | $220,660 | $138,570 | $308,040 | $158,821 | $178,532 |
| Minnesota | 2,370 | $219,200 | $132,930 | $226,940 | $145,780 | $147,818 |
| Tennessee | 2,200 | $215,290 | $84,360 | $311,900 | $158,417 | $172,436 |
| Oregon | 1,660 | $211,690 | $143,990 | $353,310 | $135,936 | $131,516 |
| Maine | 310 | $209,200 | $152,740 | $385,460 | $139,273 | $143,506 |
| North Carolina | 4,140 | $207,000 | $107,810 | $337,630 | $145,000 | $153,722 |
| Georgia | 2,620 | $206,760 | $93,590 | $373,420 | $143,018 | $148,523 |
| Missouri | 2,440 | $204,960 | $95,610 | $427,970 | $142,660 | $157,086 |
| Vermont | 240 | $204,960 | $112,490 | $326,360 | $139,641 | $142,552 |
| Virginia | 4,140 | $197,110 | $105,400 | $321,250 | $135,471 | $133,992 |
| Arizona | 3,470 | $194,180 | $62,230 | $336,320 | $139,527 | $138,589 |
| Wisconsin | 2,560 | $193,690 | $121,780 | $306,370 | $134,028 | $142,439 |
| New York | 7,340 | $183,060 | $75,410 | $375,740 | $126,184 | $116,923 |
| Massachusetts | 2,780 | $181,600 | $101,470 | $417,670 | $125,694 | $118,852 |
| Iowa | 1,240 | $181,520 | $100,920 | $259,990 | $129,089 | $147,090 |
| Nebraska | 790 | $179,750 | $68,040 | $265,940 | $126,826 | $140,757 |
| Arkansas | 1,210 | $178,930 | $99,010 | $223,010 | $127,145 | $146,249 |
| New Hampshire | 500 | $177,480 | $99,780 | $341,950 | $132,574 | $127,273 |
| Florida | 9,320 | $174,900 | $98,680 | $314,860 | $130,810 | $126,492 |
| New Jersey | 2,980 | $171,330 | $77,920 | $349,780 | $118,737 | $109,128 |
| Louisiana | 1,500 | $170,750 | $80,530 | $309,360 | $123,237 | $139,714 |
| West Virginia | 420 | $170,370 | $96,270 | $362,930 | $120,800 | $134,977 |
| Michigan | 3,620 | $169,930 | $109,960 | $303,980 | $120,442 | $125,177 |
| Washington | 3,240 | $169,730 | $85,240 | $346,840 | $124,922 | $116,735 |
| Maryland | 2,100 | $168,500 | $107,880 | $254,820 | $118,345 | $112,754 |
| Hawaii | 830 | $167,820 | $83,310 | $416,000 | $114,529 | $104,164 |
| Ohio | 2,790 | $167,410 | $64,910 | $316,970 | $121,524 | $130,989 |
| Montana | 380 | $167,200 | $63,710 | $230,580 | $117,461 | $124,107 |
| Indiana | 2,300 | $166,650 | $81,370 | $327,980 | $120,285 | $128,882 |
| Colorado | 2,940 | $166,240 | $84,590 | $229,070 | $117,553 | $114,072 |
| Oklahoma | 980 | $166,170 | $97,290 | $346,890 | $117,911 | $134,229 |
| California | 16,770 | $165,950 | $74,510 | $272,730 | $111,347 | $100,566 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,460 | $163,390 | $65,520 | $316,950 | $117,813 | $120,744 |
| Texas | 8,920 | $162,360 | $83,990 | $308,220 | $122,239 | $125,946 |
| Nevada | 1,100 | $162,200 | $99,600 | $262,350 | $122,130 | $122,155 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $161,560 | $103,490 | $240,650 | $114,520 | $111,967 |
| Connecticut | 1,950 | $160,440 | $89,430 | $362,870 | $111,748 | $107,855 |
| South Carolina | 2,140 | $158,640 | $96,920 | $310,840 | $112,397 | $119,892 |
| South Dakota | 390 | $158,140 | $94,560 | $250,780 | $119,355 | $134,733 |
| Illinois | 6,940 | $156,110 | $123,920 | $291,530 | $110,385 | $110,431 |
| New Mexico | 780 | $155,260 | $101,180 | $306,320 | $111,109 | $120,493 |
| Mississippi | 740 | $143,660 | $59,700 | $240,450 | $104,443 | $120,115 |
| Kentucky | 790 | $134,160 | $44,820 | $344,040 | $98,386 | $109,125 |
| Utah | 1,020 | $133,320 | $84,020 | $222,820 | $96,457 | $97,566 |
| Idaho | 650 | $124,190 | $91,070 | $203,610 | $90,676 | $94,955 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $123,830 | $71,150 | $235,090 | $95,904 | $103,466 |
| Puerto Rico | 150 | $107,560 | $62,230 | $195,000 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.