Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary: $48,310 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 33,920 dental laboratory technicians work nationally, and $48,310 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 12% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.5% annual decline.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Dental Laboratory Technicians shrank from 16,060 in 2009 to 14,840 in 2025 (7.6%).
Historical employment for Dental Laboratory Technicians 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
$48,310 Median pay (BLS national)
Dental Laboratory Technicians earn $48,310 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
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: 3,950 employees, $57,240 avg wage
- FL: 2,170 employees, $57,890 avg wage
- NY: 2,130 employees, $56,850 avg wage
- TX: 1,690 employees, $47,940 avg wage
- IL: 1,440 employees, $54,040 avg wage
- GA: 1,380 employees, $53,180 avg wage
- MI: 1,290 employees, $54,390 avg wage
- UT: 1,170 employees, $52,590 avg wage
- OH: 1,110 employees, $52,180 avg wage
- PA: 1,100 employees, $54,380 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Dental Laboratory Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,070 employees, $57,490 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,580 employees, $60,220 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 950 employees, $55,260 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 750 employees, $57,280 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 690 employees, $58,400 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 690 employees, $57,240 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 680 employees, $54,020 avg wage
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 650 employees, $53,480 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 650 employees, $52,710 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 540 employees, $57,220 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 U.S. workforce for Dental Laboratory Technicians is about 33,920 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Dental Laboratory Technicians earn $48,310 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.