These Are The 10 Highest Dentist Salaries By State

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When considering career options, one of the most critical factors for job seekers is salary. This is especially true for dentists, who often inquire about earnings in their specific location.

Numerous factors influence dentist salaries, but comprehensive data on average earnings is available by state, categorized by experience level. While actual salaries may vary by city, these averages provide a useful benchmark for what dental professionals can expect to earn.

To gain insights into how dentist salaries fluctuate across the United States, we analyzed the latest information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding average salaries by state.

Moreover, we adjusted these salaries based on cost of living, acknowledging that purchasing power differs significantly between states — for instance, a salary in North Carolina may stretch further than one in California.

The state with the highest adjusted salary for dentists in 2026? That honor goes to North Dakota. Here’s a snapshot of the top ten states for dentist salaries:

Next, let’s delve into how we calculated these figures and provide a comprehensive ranking of all states.

How We Determined Dentist Pay by State

As previously mentioned, we utilized average annual salary data for dentists from the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, specifically their “Occupational Employment Statistics.”

To ensure a fair comparison of salaries across states, we factored in the cost of living as well.

Our methodology involved creating an index by dividing each state’s average dentist wage by its cost of living. For example, with California’s cost of living at $57,315 and the average dentist salary at $170,490, the index value is calculated as follows:

$170,490 / $57,315 = 2.97

We ranked each state based on this index, identifying those with the highest salary index ranking as having the highest average salaries for dentists.

Here’s a detailed ranking of all states based on these calculations.

Detailed List Of Dentist Salaries By State

Rank	State	Adjusted Salary	Average Wage	Cost of Living
1	North Dakota	$231,107	$214,450	$46,814
2	Delaware	$215,775	$227,160	$53,112
3	North Carolina	$215,102	$211,370	$49,575
4	South Carolina	$211,636	$195,350	$46,568
5	Idaho	$210,542	$191,140	$45,801
6	Ohio	$210,447	$191,270	$45,853
7	Alaska	$201,356	$217,120	$54,400
8	Wisconsin	$200,903	$203,570	$51,120
9	New Hampshire	$199,400	$217,790	$55,103
10	Kentucky	$196,242	$168,460	$43,308
11	Mississippi	$195,532	$178,610	$46,084
12	Arkansas	$194,065	$171,450	$44,571
13	Alabama	$192,524	$174,870	$45,824
14	Kansas	$191,432	$182,340	$48,054
15	Iowa	$191,214	$185,270	$48,882
16	Tennessee	$189,874	$176,080	$46,785
17	Oregon	$188,542	$193,960	$51,900
18	Minnesota	$187,144	$193,320	$52,115
19	Nevada	$187,027	$195,360	$52,698
20	Georgia	$186,813	$177,540	$47,946
21	West Virginia	$184,150	$163,610	$44,823
22	Maine	$182,203	$185,290	$51,305
23	Missouri	$181,432	$166,000	$46,159
24	Wyoming	$180,270	$171,340	$47,951
25	Washington	$180,060	$182,990	$51,271
26	Texas	$180,043	$171,870	$48,160
27	New Mexico	$179,090	$170,570	$48,050
28	Vermont	$175,654	$180,970	$51,977
29	Michigan	$174,665	$169,080	$48,837
30	South Dakota	$170,960	$153,880	$45,410
31	Rhode Island	$170,776	$180,220	$53,240
32	Oklahoma	$168,030	$155,250	$46,613
33	Colorado	$167,608	$178,710	$53,792
34	Florida	$164,543	$170,270	$52,206
35	Nebraska	$161,038	$153,460	$48,076
36	Connecticut	$159,892	$188,580	$59,502
37	Indiana	$158,078	$146,760	$46,838
38	Montana	$157,781	$147,250	$47,083
39	Arizona	$153,234	$155,940	$51,341
40	Pennsylvania	$152,238	$150,620	$49,914
41	Massachusetts	$151,952	$179,390	$59,560
42	California	$150,070	$170,490	$57,315
43	New Jersey	$149,888	$166,700	$56,109
44	New York	$148,446	$173,980	$59,128
45	Louisiana	$146,255	$139,080	$47,975
46	Virginia	$145,073	$156,040	$54,264
47	Illinois	$144,105	$149,400	$52,304
48	Maryland	$137,281	$158,310	$58,178
49	Hawaii	$128,727	$154,880	$60,700
50	Utah	$127,741	$121,340	$47,922

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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