There were approximately 110,000 general dentists working in the U.S. as of May 2019 according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. Most general dentists work in dental offices, but smaller numbers work in physician offices, outpatient care centers, hospitals and with state government entities. Like many other trained healthcare professionals with advanced technical skills, general dentists earn salaries and wages in excess of that earned by workers in most other occupations. Per BLS estimates, as of May 2019, the national mean wage for general dentists was $178,260 annually, in comparison to the $53,490 annual mean wage for all occupations in the U.S. Pay for the profession varies widely from state-to-state, with general dentists in some states making double what their counterparts earn elsewhere. As of May 2019, according to BLS data the ten states with the best annual mean salary and wages for general dentists were:
| Rhode Island | $262,900 |
| Vermont | $261,790 |
| Alaska | $239,930 |
| North Dakota | $225,770 |
| Maine | $220,400 |
| Michigan | $216,310 |
| New Hampshire | $215,600 |
| Minnesota | $213,210 |
| Wisconsin | $207,350 |
| Nevada | $204,240 |
At the other end of the spectrum, here were the bottom ten states for general dentist pay:
| Alabama | $157,040 |
| California | $155,670 |
| Louisiana | $155,350 |
| Mississippi | $153,220 |
| Montana | $150,170 |
| Nebraska | $138,250 |
| Utah | $134,730 |
| Kentucky | $129,310 |
| Wyoming | $127,990 |
| West Virginia | $126,880 |
So where does your state rank for General Dentist pay?
Check out General Dentist Average Wages by State for more information.