Dentists, General Salary: $172,790 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 113,490 dentists, general work nationally, and $172,790 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 22% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,924 |
| 25th percentile | $133,523 |
| Median (50th) | $183,392 |
| 75th percentile | $215,029 |
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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Dentists, General grew from 42,760 in 2009 to 58,540 in 2025 (36.9%).
Historical employment for Dentists, General 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
$172,790 Median pay (BLS national)
Dentists, General earn $172,790 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 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.
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: 14,760 employees, $184,350 avg wage
- FL: 8,400 employees, $196,320 avg wage
- TX: 7,690 employees, $207,300 avg wage
- NY: 7,460 employees, $185,590 avg wage
- IL: 4,820 employees, $184,490 avg wage
- NC: 4,410 employees, $205,990 avg wage
- MI: 3,920 employees, $202,390 avg wage
- VA: 3,890 employees, $192,880 avg wage
- GA: 3,260 employees, $203,300 avg wage
- PA: 3,210 employees, $174,250 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Dentists, General.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,940 employees, $185,780 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,300 employees, $174,180 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,980 employees, $186,250 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 3,110 employees, $228,210 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,650 employees, $201,550 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,350 employees, $186,950 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,160 employees, $204,920 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 2,090 employees, $182,510 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 1,950 employees, $182,790 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 1,950 employees, $195,360 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 U.S. workforce for Dentists, General is about 113,490 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Dentists, General earn $172,790 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.