Executive Summary

About 5,330 oral and maxillofacial surgeons work nationally, and $290,578 is the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract. Employment in the series shown rose about 145% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: what the data shows

Common questions about oral and maxillofacial surgeons careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a oral and maxillofacial surgeons?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1022.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 5,330 workers.

What does a oral and maxillofacial surgeons do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a oral and maxillofacial surgeons make?

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $290,578.

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$85,215

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is oral and maxillofacial surgeons in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 1.5%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 2.9%.

Current U.S. headcount: 5,330.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do oral and maxillofacial surgeonss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry5,33025.8%
Health Care and Social Assistance5,29025.6%
Ambulatory Health Care Services4,93023.8%
Offices of Dentists4,74022.9%
Offices of Physicians1900.9%
Educational Services400.2%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

What careers are related?

Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists72,190$95,830
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers16,230$115,230
Community Health Workers60,730$51,030
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates25,580$156,210
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan157,310$43,830

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons workforce.

Employment Over Time

5,330 U.S. workforce (OEWS)

California employment for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons grew from 2,120 in 2009 to 2,220 in 2025 (4.7%).

Historical employment for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$290,578 Mean pay (California OEWS)

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons earn $290,578 as the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Salary distribution for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Employment Growth Projections

0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

2,252 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 1.5%

2,284 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 2.9%

This occupation is projected to grow at 0.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Wage Trends by Industry

42.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Total, All Industry: 27.2% growth (Current: $326,601)

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 930 employees, $282,890 avg wage
  • NY: 560 employees, N/A avg wage
  • FL: 330 employees, N/A avg wage
  • NC: 230 employees, $400,440 avg wage
  • GA: 140 employees, $179,080 avg wage
  • AL: 110 employees, $393,490 avg wage
  • IA: 110 employees, N/A avg wage
  • MI: 110 employees, $278,310 avg wage
  • NH: 90 employees, N/A avg wage
  • TN: 80 employees, N/A avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 400 employees, N/A avg wage
  • Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 80 employees, N/A avg wage
  • Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 50 employees, $305,900 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 50 employees, N/A avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Diversity

Demographic information on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in the US.

Gender and Age

The U.S. workforce for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is about 5,330 people in our OEWS extract.

Gender and age distribution for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 2023 were Business Administration, Biology, Chemistry.

Common majors for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons workers.

Education level distribution for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Skills

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons need many skills, but most especially Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning.

Required skills for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons include Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology.

Knowledge areas required for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Inductive Reasoning, Control Precision.

Required abilities for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Daily Activities

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information.

Most important work activities for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

About

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons earn $290,578 as the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract.

SOC Code

29-1022 - Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Insights and Analysis

High earnings profile: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons reports an average salary of $290,578, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 5,330 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.