Key Factors That Influence Dental Therapist Salaries
A Dental Therapist'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, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Dental Therapist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Dental Therapist'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): $74,040
Early Career (1-2 years): $74,203
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $76,447
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $79,903
Expert (over 8 years): $80,150
Levels
Salary
Entry Level Dental Therapist
$74,040
Intermediate Level Dental Therapist
$74,203
Senior Level Dental Therapist
$76,447
Specialist Level Dental Therapist
$79,903
Expert Level Dental Therapist
$80,150
$74,0400 yr
$74,203< 2 yrs
$76,4472-4 yrs
$79,9035-8 yrs
$80,150> 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do Dental Therapist 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 Dental Therapists.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
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: $95,650
San Francisco: $94,600
Oakland: $92,600
San Jose, CA$95,650
San Francisco, CA$94,600
Oakland, CA$92,600
New York, NY$87,310
Paramus, NJ$86,250
Queens Village, NY$86,250
Passaic, NJ$86,170
Bergenfield, NJ$86,170
Stamford, CT$86,000
Huntington, NY$85,970
Newark, NJ$85,410
Bridgeport, CT$85,250
Vallejo, CA$85,100
New Brunswick, NJ$85,070
Petaluma, CA$85,020
Middlesex, NJ$84,880
Somerset, NJ$84,830
Santa Cruz, CA$84,730
Boston, MA$84,260
Monterey, CA$84,000
Seattle, WA$83,820
Santa Rosa, CA$83,810
Los Angeles, CA$83,790
Juneau, AK$83,590
Washington, DC$83,510
Orange, CA$83,240
Santa Ana, CA$83,040
Long Beach, CA$82,960
Anaheim, CA$82,940
Anchorage, AK$82,910
Santa Maria, CA$82,680
Everett, WA$82,660
Danbury, CT$82,400
Bremerton, WA$82,290
Tacoma, WA$82,020
New Suffolk, NY$82,020
Sacramento, CA$82,000
Santa Barbara, CA$81,910
Trenton, NJ$81,830
San Diego, CA$81,830
Brockton, MA$81,750
Fairbanks, AK$81,560
Lompoc, CA$81,370
Lowell, MA$81,310
Ventura, CA$81,290
Nashua, NH$81,280
Stockton, CA$81,270
Modesto, CA$80,720
Poughkeepsie, NY$80,550
Olympia, WA$80,400
Kennewick, WA$80,400
New Haven, CT$80,370
Lawrence, MA$80,100
Hartford, CT$80,030
Riverside, CA$80,010
New Bedford, MA$79,930
Richland, WA$79,930
Bakersfield, CA$79,830
San Bernardino, CA$79,800
New Britain, CT$79,790
Atlantic City, NJ$79,790
New London, CT$79,760
Norwich, CT$79,740
Portsmouth, NH$79,720
Boulder, CO$79,560
Portland, OR$79,460
Worcester, MA$79,450
Minneapolis, MN$79,210
Philadelphia, PA$79,110
Honolulu, HI$78,860
Saint Paul, MN$78,820
Vineland, NJ$78,800
Providence, RI$78,580
Chicago, IL$78,360
Bellingham, WA$78,270
Springfield, MA$78,210
Baltimore, MD$78,190
Chico, CA$78,000
Pittsfield, MA$77,800
Manchester, NH$77,650
Spokane, WA$77,320
Denver, CO$77,310
Albany, NY$76,950
Troy, NY$76,920
Nassau, NY$76,840
Schenectady, NY$76,760
Wilmington, DE$76,700
Burlington, VT$76,600
Salem, OR$76,570
Portland, ME$76,330
Yakima, WA$76,260
Rochester, MN$76,020
Reno, NV$75,980
Fresno, CA$75,980
Milwaukee, WI$75,920
Detroit, MI$75,840
Ann Arbor, MI$75,830
Allentown, PA$75,820
Colorado Springs, CO$75,690
Syracuse, NY$75,650
Carson City, NV$75,650
Houston, TX$75,540
Eugene, OR$75,510
Gary, IN$75,410
Springfield, OR$75,350
Bismarck, ND$75,340
Galveston, TX$75,290
Medford, OR$75,170
Fort Collins, CO$75,140
Concord, NH$75,100
Austin, TX$75,080
Mesa, AZ$74,920
Reading, PA$74,910
Phoenix, AZ$74,910
Dallas, TX$74,880
Saint Cloud, MN$74,810
Madison, WI$74,710
Utica, NY$74,510
Des Moines, IA$74,380
Rochester, NY$74,380
Raleigh, NC$74,370
Atlanta, GA$74,250
Battle Creek, MI$74,230
Salt Lake City, UT$74,210
Lancaster, PA$74,100
Harrisburg, PA$73,990
Kansas City, MO$73,910
Champaign, IL$73,900
Kansas City, KS$73,900
Fort Worth, TX$73,890
Columbus, OH$73,880
Boca Raton, FL$73,860
Pittsburgh, PA$73,830
Richmond, VA$73,800
Indianapolis, IN$73,780
Cleveland, OH$73,780
Las Vegas, NV$73,690
Cincinnati, OH$73,690
Petersburg, VA$73,570
Huntsville, AL$73,460
Lansing, MI$73,410
Lebanon, PA$73,400
Pueblo, CO$73,390
Appleton, WI$73,370
Buffalo, NY$73,340
Dayton, OH$73,310
Racine, WI$73,300
Charlotte, NC$73,290
Saint Louis, MO$73,270
York, PA$73,220
Elkhart, IN$73,220
Gastonia, NC$73,210
Billings, MT$73,190
Beaumont, TX$73,170
Lorain, OH$73,160
Benton Harbor, MI$73,140
Toledo, OH$73,120
Binghamton, NY$73,090
Rock Hill, SC$73,080
Rockford, IL$73,040
Springfield, IL$73,010
Elyria, OH$73,000
Fargo, ND$73,000
Flagstaff, AZ$72,950
Fort Lauderdale, FL$72,910
Duluth, MN$72,860
Miami, FL$72,860
Cheyenne, WY$72,810
Grand Forks, ND$72,810
Bangor, ME$72,640
Cedar Rapids, IA$72,560
Durham, NC$72,520
Louisville, KY$72,520
Grand Rapids, MI$72,500
Hialeah, FL$72,500
Casper, WY$72,390
Scranton, PA$72,300
New Orleans, LA$72,280
Virginia Beach, VA$72,270
Akron, OH$72,230
Peoria, IL$72,130
Sarasota, FL$72,120
Nashville, TN$72,060
Omaha, NE$72,060
Green Bay, WI$72,060
Baton Rouge, LA$72,030
Charleston, SC$72,010
Jamestown, NY$71,970
Davenport, IA$71,970
Tucson, AZ$71,930
Saint Petersburg, FL$71,890
Tampa, FL$71,870
Evansville, IN$71,830
Port Arthur, TX$71,830
Bradenton, FL$71,800
Santa Fe, NM$71,660
Orlando, FL$71,530
Clearwater, FL$71,500
Canton, OH$71,340
La Crosse, WI$71,340
Albuquerque, NM$71,300
Newport News, VA$71,290
High Point, NC$71,270
Ogden, UT$71,240
Corpus Christi, TX$71,180
Norfolk, VA$71,130
Laramie, WY$71,130
Rock Island, IL$71,090
Saginaw, MI$71,070
Jacksonville, FL$71,060
Salisbury, NC$71,050
Boise, ID$71,030
Moline, IL$70,990
Fort Myers, FL$70,970
Memphis, TN$70,960
Tulsa, OK$70,920
Waterloo, IA$70,870
Spartanburg, SC$70,800
Lincoln, NE$70,760
Fort Wayne, IN$70,740
Provo, UT$70,740
Cedar Falls, IA$70,650
San Antonio, TX$70,620
Greensboro, NC$70,580
South Bend, IN$70,580
Savannah, GA$70,490
Muskegon, MI$70,460
Birmingham, AL$70,460
Winston Salem, NC$70,420
Lake Charles, LA$70,240
Anderson, IN$70,220
Lexington, KY$70,200
Augusta, GA$70,180
Greenville, SC$70,180
Lima, OH$70,110
Wichita, KS$70,110
Tuscaloosa, AL$70,110
Columbia, SC$70,040
Springfield, OH$70,020
Asheville, NC$69,900
Bloomington, IN$69,850
Knoxville, TN$69,580
Shreveport, LA$69,570
Wilmington, NC$69,470
Roanoke, VA$69,470
Topeka, KS$69,330
Frankfort, KY$69,330
Oklahoma City, OK$69,270
Longview, TX$69,240
Chillicothe, OH$69,240
Melbourne, FL$69,230
Sioux Falls, SD$69,110
Mobile, AL$69,100
Terre Haute, IN$69,070
Altoona, PA$69,020
Amarillo, TX$68,970
Killeen, TX$68,950
Fayetteville, AR$68,890
Chattanooga, TN$68,860
Sioux City, IA$68,800
Idaho Falls, ID$68,780
Lynchburg, VA$68,720
Gainesville, FL$68,620
Portsmouth, OH$68,580
Little Rock, AR$68,570
Lafayette, LA$68,540
Youngstown, OH$68,540
Daytona Beach, FL$68,490
Pensacola, FL$68,480
Clarksville, TN$68,480
Temple, TX$68,470
Hopkinsville, KY$68,250
Erie, PA$68,230
Florence, SC$68,200
Charleston, WV$68,080
Great Falls, MT$68,040
Macon, GA$67,940
Tallahassee, FL$67,930
Fayetteville, NC$67,920
Waco, TX$67,900
Helena, MT$67,850
Pine Bluff, AR$67,820
Vincennes, IN$67,730
Lubbock, TX$67,700
Alamogordo, NM$67,650
Twin Falls, ID$67,580
Rapid City, SD$67,560
Greenville, MS$67,420
Huntington, WV$67,420
Jackson, MS$67,420
Parkersburg, WV$67,340
Montgomery, AL$67,320
Wichita Falls, TX$67,250
Springfield, MO$67,250
Biloxi, MS$67,210
Monroe, LA$67,130
Johnstown, PA$67,080
Sumter, SC$67,050
Columbus, GA$67,040
Pascagoula, MS$66,900
Abilene, TX$66,900
Kingsport, TN$66,700
Albany, GA$66,700
Gulfport, MS$66,680
Alexandria, LA$66,430
Fort Smith, AR$66,240
El Paso, TX$66,040
Las Cruces, NM$65,690
Harlingen, TX$65,500
Pocatello, ID$65,490
Florence, AL$65,390
Brownsville, TX$65,380
Mcallen, TX$65,220
Dothan, AL$65,110
Columbus, MS$64,660
Altus, OK$64,310
Lawton, OK$64,160
Pierre, SD$63,890
What Skills Can Increase a Dental Therapist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 8.72% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
HIPAA (Mentioned in 5.39% 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.
Infection Control (Mentioned in 2.75% Job Postings): Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often underrecognized and undersupported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoals. Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the healthcare setting (whether patient-to-patient, from patients to staff and from staff to patients, or among-staff), including prevention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccination, surveillance), monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting (surveillance and outbreak investigation), and management (interruption of outbreaks). It is on this basis that the common title being adopted within health care is "infection prevention and control."
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Customer Service
8.72%
HIPAA
5.39%
Infection Control
2.75%
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 Dental Therapist's salary.
Supply Chain: Can increase your salary by up to 38%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.
CPR: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
Supply Chain
$104,645
38%
Collaboration
$87,205
15%
CPR
$85,688
13%
Self Care
$85,688
13%
Patient Care
$84,171
11%
Dental Care
$84,171
11%
Get Latest Data
Dental Therapist Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
Dental Therapist salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $80,537.
While startup companies pay approximate $68,595.
Dental Therapist Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$68,595
Growth Stage
51~500
$72,419
Established
501~5000
$77,908
Enterprise
5000+
$80,537
Dental Therapist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Dental Therapist roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare,
offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely,
Dental Therapist positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Dental Therapist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Dental Therapist
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare
$90,996
$44.0
20%
Dental Therapist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Dental Therapist'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.
Salaries for a Dental Therapist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $60,998 in 2023
to around $60,754 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Dental Therapist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Dental Therapist Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$60,998
2024
$61,152
2025
$60,754
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$60,998
2024
$61,152
2025
$60,754
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Dental Therapist
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Common company salaries for Dental Therapist
Here are companies hiring for Dental Therapist and their salaries, click below for more details.
N
$97,099/per year
New York Police Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$95,962/per year
State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$94,615/per year
US Department of Transportation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$93,141/per year
US General Services Administration
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$92,342/per year
Los Angeles County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
D
$92,011/per year
Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,967/per year
US Department of Commerce
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,755/per year
US Department of Energy
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
F
$91,673/per year
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$90,276/per year
Naval Sea Systems Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,975/per year
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$88,721/per year
San Diego County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,664/per year
The TTB
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$87,569/per year
Lutheran Services
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
M
$85,066/per year
Maryland Inc
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$83,780/per year
State University of New York
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$82,969/per year
New York State
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
P
$82,703/per year
Puerto Rico Department of Education
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$80,526/per year
US Central Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
H
$80,286/per year
Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$79,270/per year
Air Force Reserve
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$78,505/per year
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$76,678/per year
State of Florida - Department of Health
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$75,183/per year
New York State Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$75,106/per year
State University System of Florida
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.