Dentists, General Salary: $189,360 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 113,490 dentists, general nationally earn a mean of $189,360. Employment in the series shown fell about 22% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Dentists, General: what the data shows
Common questions about dentists, general careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a dentists, general?
Dentists, General is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 113,490 workers.
What does a dentists, general do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a dentists, general make?
BLS national median annual wage: $172,790 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $189,360 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,924 |
| 25th percentile | $133,523 |
| Median (50th) | $183,392 |
| 75th percentile | $215,029 |
What education do you need?
For Dentists, General, 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 Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is dentists, general in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 10.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 21.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 113,490.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do dentists, generals work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 113,490 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 111,170 | 19.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 110,890 | 19.3% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 108,670 | 18.9% |
| Offices of Dentists | 102,160 | 17.8% |
| Hospitals | 4,010 | 0.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Dentists, General 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,510,550 | $43,630 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,531,700 | $48,620 |
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other | 195,890 | $46,040 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Dentists, General workforce.
Employment Over Time
113,490 Workforce in 2023
The Dentists, General workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Dentists, General.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$189,360 Average Wage
In 2023, Dentists, General earned an average of $189,360.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Dentists, General.
Salary distribution for Dentists, General.
Employment Growth Projections
2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
64,577 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 10.3%
71,238 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 21.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Dentists, General.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Dentists, General and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Dentists, General employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Dentists, General.
Wage Trends by Industry
-10.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Dentists, General.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Dentists, General.
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: 13,940 employees, $188,954 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Dentists, General.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,050 employees, $178,980 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,950 employees, $187,758 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,480 employees, $192,411 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,280 employees, $165,807 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,240 employees, $178,733 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,000 employees, $230,403 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 760 employees, $191,897 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 560 employees, $234,284 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 540 employees, $189,093 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 370 employees, $206,904 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Dentists, General.
Diversity
Demographic information on Dentists, General in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Dentists, General in 2023 was 113,490 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Dentists, General.
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 Dentists, General.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Dentists, General.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Dentists, General in 2023 were Business Administration, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Dentists, General.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Dentists, General workers.
Education level distribution for Dentists, General.
Skills
Dentists, General need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking.
Required skills for Dentists, General.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Dentists, General.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Dentists, General include Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Dentists, General.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Dentists, General include Problem Sensitivity, Finger Dexterity, Inductive Reasoning, Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness.
Required abilities for Dentists, General.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Dentists, General.
Daily Activities
Dentists, General spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Assisting and Caring for Others, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Dentists, General.
About
Dentists, General
The average yearly wage for Dentists, General was $189,360 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1021 - Dentists, General
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Dentists, General reports an average salary of $189,360, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 113,490 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.0%, 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.