Highest-paying dental jobs
Every dental role ranked by median annual pay, as of BLS OEWS May 2024. Surgeons and orthodontists top the list (BLS reports them at the top of its wage scale), followed by general dentists, then clinical and administrative roles. Open any role for the full distribution.
- Top role
- Orthodontist
- $239,200+
- Roles ranked
- 7
- Verified by BLS
- 5 of 7
- Source
- BLS OEWS
- May 2024
| Role | Median annuali | Median hourly | Top 10% (90th)i | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orthodontist | $239,200+ | — | $239,200+ | Verified |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon | $239,200+ | — | $239,200+ | Verified |
| General Dentist | $179,210 | $86.16/hr | $239,200 | Verified |
| Pediatric Dentist | $179,210 | — | $239,200 | Modeled estimate |
| Dental Hygienist | $94,260 | $45.32/hr | $120,060 | Verified |
| Dental Office Manager | $60,000 | $28.85/hr | $85,000 | Modeled estimate |
| Dental Assistant | $47,300 | $22.74/hr | $61,780 | Verified |
- Median annual
- $239,200+
- Median hourly
- —
- Top 10% (90th)
- $239,200+
- Data
- Verified
- Median annual
- $239,200+
- Median hourly
- —
- Top 10% (90th)
- $239,200+
- Data
- Verified
- Median annual
- $179,210
- Median hourly
- $86.16/hr
- Top 10% (90th)
- $239,200
- Data
- Verified
- Median annual
- $179,210
- Median hourly
- —
- Top 10% (90th)
- $239,200
- Data
- Modeled estimate
- Median annual
- $94,260
- Median hourly
- $45.32/hr
- Top 10% (90th)
- $120,060
- Data
- Verified
- Median annual
- $60,000
- Median hourly
- $28.85/hr
- Top 10% (90th)
- $85,000
- Data
- Modeled estimate
- Median annual
- $47,300
- Median hourly
- $22.74/hr
- Top 10% (90th)
- $61,780
- Data
- Verified
Know a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Specialist figures (orthodontist, oral surgeon) are shown as the BLS top-code floor of $239,200+— the true median is higher, but we report the verified floor rather than invent a number.
Verified figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2024. Administrative roles are modeled and labelled accordingly. How DentalSalary works →
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