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Hourly Wage for Dentist Salary in the United States

How much does a Dentist make hourly?

As of August 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Dentist in the United States is $94, which translates to an annual salary of about $195,618.

However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $120 per hour
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $90 to $108 per hour
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $86 per hour
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Dentist Salaries

A Dentist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Dentist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Dentist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $192,049
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $192,710
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $193,371
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $194,296
  • Expert (over 8 years): $197,716
Levels Salary
Entry Level Dentist$192,049
Intermediate Level Dentist$192,710
Senior Level Dentist$193,371
Specialist Level Dentist$194,296
Expert Level Dentist$197,716
View as Graph

How Do Dentists Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Dentists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $216,588.
  • California: $215,767.
  • Massachusetts: $212,891.

Top Paying Cities for Dentist

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $246,733
  • San Francisco: $244,031
  • Oakland: $238,889

What Skills Can Increase a Dentist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 6.53% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Clinical Skills (Mentioned in 3% Job Postings): The term 'clinical skills' involves history-taking, physical examination, clinical investigations, using diagnostic reasoning, procedural perfection, effective communication, team work and professionalism.
  • HIPAA (Mentioned in 1.98% Job Postings): The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 6.53%
Clinical Skills 3%
HIPAA 1.98%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Dentist's salary.

  • Medical Prescriptions: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Medical Prescriptions $215,180
10%
Coaching $209,311
7%
Insight $209,311
7%
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Dentist Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Dentist salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $220,116. While startup companies pay approximate $186,958.

Dentist Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $186,958
Growth Stage 51~500 $197,519
Established 501~5000 $212,752
Enterprise 5000+ $220,116

Dentist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Dentist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Healthcare and Biotechnology sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average. In contrast, Dentist positions in Pharmaceuticals or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Dentist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Dentist

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$293,427$141.050%
Biotechnology$234,742$113.020%

How Education impacts an Dentist's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Dentist enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Dentist with a Bachelor's Degree is between $0 and $0.

Dentist Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Dentist
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.7%
High School 4.3%
Associates 8.4%
Bachelors 10.8%
Masters 10.1%
Doctorate 64.7%
View as Graph

Dentist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Dentist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026
$186,762
Average $195,618/year
$223,730
$15,564
Average $16,302/month
$18,644
$3,592
Average $3,762/week
$4,303
$90
Average $94/hour
$108
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $223,730 $18,644 $4,303 $108
Average $195,618 $16,302 $3,762 $94
25th Percentile $186,762 $15,564 $3,592 $90

Most common benefits for Dentist

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Dentist

Here are companies hiring for Dentist and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Dentist

1. What are the responsibilities of Dentist?

Examines and treats diseases and injuries of teeth and gums. Performs preventative and maintenance dentistry and educates the patient in proper tooth and gum care. Recommends braces or surgery to correct any malformations. Requires a doctorate degree in dentistry, either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from an accredited school. Requires a state licensed to practice. Typically reports to a top management. Years of experience may be unspecified. Certification and/or licensing in the position's specialty is the main requirement.

2. What are the skills of Dentist

Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.)

Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.

2.)

Clinical Skills: The term 'clinical skills' involves history-taking, physical examination, clinical investigations, using diagnostic reasoning, procedural perfection, effective communication, team work and professionalism.

3.)

HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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