Dentists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

146k

Average Age

47.5

Average Salary

$181,479

Average Male Salary

$199,343

Average Female Salary

$147,465

About

Dentists are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dentists was $181,479 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dentists by wage are Chief executives & legislators, Nurse anesthetists, and Physicians.

Dentists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Dentists are Near North Side, Loop & Near South Side PUMA, IL, Newton City & Brookline Town PUMA, MA, and Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dentists are Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ, Near North Side, Loop & Near South Side PUMA, IL, and Newton City & Brookline Town PUMA, MA.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Dentists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Offices of dentists is the industry that employs the most Dentists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dentists, by average wage, is Offices of physicians. Dentists are paid most in Layton, Clearfield, Kaysville, Syracuse & Clinton Cities PUMA, UT but are relatively concentrated in Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$181,479

AVERAGE SALARY

± $9,406

In 2020, Dentists earned an average of $181,479, $125,525 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Chief executives & legislators make somewhat more than Dentists while Nurse anesthetists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dentists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.386

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Dentists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.386, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dentists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Dentists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Dentists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Dentists.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Dentists, by number of employees, are Offices of dentists, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Administration of human resource programs, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Other health care services, U. S. Army, Offices of physicians, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dentists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Offices of dentists, and Justice, public order, & safety activities .

Industries by Share

146k

2020 Workforce

± 9,370

2.6%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.92%

The number of people employed as Dentists has been growing at a rate of 2.6%, from 142,125 people in 2019 to 145,815 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Dentists employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dentists at 92.2%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 2.4% and Outpatient care centers with 1.27%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Dentists in the US. The average age of male Dentists in the workforce is 50.3 and of female Dentists is 42.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dentists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

95.6k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,589

50.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,500

65.6% of Dentists are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Dentists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dentists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

67.6% of Dentists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 19.6% of Dentists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dentists.

Age by Sex

50.3

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.08

42.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.18

The median age of Dentists is 47.5, and Male employees are generally 8.23 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Dentists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dentists is Biology but a relatively high number of Dentists hold a major in Biology.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Dentists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dentists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Dentists need more than the average amount of Science, Management of Financial Resources, and Equipment Selection.