Dentist Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Dentists, General earn a median of $170,950 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 235% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $82.19/hr. The middle half earn between $125,710 and $224,040. The top 10% earn $319,630 or more.

The median hourly wage for dentists, general is $82.19 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $170,950 annual median works out to about $14,250 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of dentists, general earn less than $86,250 a year and the bottom quarter less than $125,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Yes, more often than not. The median is $170,950, so more than half of dentists, general earn over $100,000 a year; even the 25th percentile is $125,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 48 states the median itself is above $100,000: Alaska ($230,990), North Dakota ($220,660), Minnesota ($219,200), Tennessee ($215,290), and 44 more.

The highest state medians for Dentists, General are Alaska ($230,990), North Dakota ($220,660), Minnesota ($219,200) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $248,047.

BLS does not split dentists, general' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $319,630, against a median of $170,950 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Alaska ($230,990), North Dakota ($220,660), Minnesota ($219,200). Among the specialty careers inside this occupation, industry sources put typical pay at $355,400 for periodontists (American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, Survey of Dental Practice, 2022); $307,820 for pediatric dentists (American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, Survey of Dental Practice, 2022). Those are not BLS figures.

Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Dentists, General. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 61.9% hold doctoral degree.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.7% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 4,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Dentists diagnose and treat problems with patients’ teeth, gums, and related parts of the mouth. A core O*NET task: use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.

Most work fewer than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 0% of dentists, general usually work more than 40 hours a week, 38% work exactly 40 and 62% work fewer. 85% say their schedule is regular and 15% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Dentists, General highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Dental school follows at least a bachelor's degree and specific prerequisite science courses. Dental specialties require an additional residency, usually 2 to 4 years; oral and maxillofacial surgery programs typically take 4 to 6 years and may result in a joint MD degree.

Yes, and it is issued by the state you work in, not nationally. All states license dentists and requirements vary. States differ in which clinical examination they accept for licensure, and in whether a dental specialty license requires an additional state examination on top of the residency. Candidates from schools not accredited by CODA or CDAC cannot sit the ADEX examination and must apply directly to the state dental board for permission to take an examination valid only in that jurisdiction.

The DAT (Dental Admission Test), the INBDE (Integrated National Board Dental Examination), the ADEX (ADEX Dental Examination). Admissions test required by all US dental schools. Offered year round at Prometric test centers; total administration time is five hours and 15 minutes. Usually taken in the spring of the junior undergraduate year or the following summer, after organic chemistry.

Women make up 38.6% of dentists, general, against 47.1% of all employed people: more men than in the workforce as a whole. 32.8% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs), so a larger-than-usual share of the workforce reaches retirement age over the next decade. Those exits are counted in the BLS openings figure. The median worker is 46.1 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages, for the Census group "Dentists".