Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary: $58,727 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 33,920 dental laboratory technicians nationally earn a mean of $58,727. Employment in the series shown fell about 12% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.5% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Dental Laboratory Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about dental laboratory technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a dental laboratory technicians?
Dental Laboratory Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9081.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 33,920 workers.
What does a dental laboratory technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Processing Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a dental laboratory technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $48,310 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $58,727 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,833 |
| 25th percentile | $45,820 |
| Median (50th) | $49,739 |
| 75th percentile | $66,452 |
| 90th percentile | $84,920 |
What education do you need?
For Dental Laboratory Technicians, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Administration and Management, Design, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is dental laboratory technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -4.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 33,920.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do dental laboratory technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 33,920 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 33,360 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 29,060 | 17.1% |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 29,060 | 17.1% |
| Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 29,020 | 17.1% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 4,160 | 2.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Dental Laboratory Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Dental Assistants | 375,430 | $47,300 |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 13,050 | $66,430 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 167,490 | $38,220 |
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | 18,740 | $38,420 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 385,000 | $57,770 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Dental Laboratory Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
33,920 Workforce in 2023
The Dental Laboratory Technicians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$58,727 Average Wage
In 2023, Dental Laboratory Technicians earned an average of $58,727.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Salary distribution for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
14,478 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.4%
14,125 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -4.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Dental Laboratory Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Dental Laboratory Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 3,460 employees, $58,199 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,200 employees, $59,914 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 870 employees, $57,691 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 290 employees, $55,136 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 270 employees, $58,542 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 260 employees, $54,397 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 210 employees, $63,489 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 60 employees, $48,682 avg wage
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: 60 employees, $55,669 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 50 employees, $54,192 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 40 employees, $49,493 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Dental Laboratory Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Dental Laboratory Technicians in 2023 was 33,920 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
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 Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Dental Laboratory Technicians in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Biology.
Common majors for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Dental Laboratory Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Skills
Dental Laboratory Technicians need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring.
Required skills for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Dental Laboratory Technicians include Administration and Management, Design, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry, Production and Processing.
Knowledge areas required for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Dental Laboratory Technicians include Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Visualization.
Required abilities for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Daily Activities
Dental Laboratory Technicians spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Processing Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
About
Dental Laboratory Technicians
The average yearly wage for Dental Laboratory Technicians was $58,727 in 2023.
SOC Code
51-9081 - Dental Laboratory Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Dental Laboratory Technicians reports an average salary of $58,727.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 33,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.5%, 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.