Dentists

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Total Workforce

141k

Average Age

47.4

Average Salary

$185,669

Average Male Salary

$199,762

Average Female Salary

$160,820

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Dentists are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dentists was $185,669 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 South of I-10 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX, West Haven, Milford & Orange Towns PUMA, CT, and Newton City & Brookline Town PUMA, MA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dentists are West Haven, Milford & Orange Towns PUMA, CT, Northfield & New Trier Townships PUMA, IL, and San Ramon City & Danville Town PUMA, CA.

Photo by COD Newsroom

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical 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 Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Renville & Sibley Counties PUMA, MN but are relatively concentrated in West Haven, Milford & Orange Towns PUMA, CT.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$185,669

AVERAGE SALARY

± $9,764

In 2018, Dentists earned an average of $185,669, $131,780 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

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

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Wage Distribution

0.375

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Dentists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.375, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dentists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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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.

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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.

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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, and Outpatient care centers.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dentists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Offices of dentists, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Offices of dentists, Justice, public order, & safety activities , and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

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Industries by Share

141k

2018 Workforce

± 9,210

-0.239%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.26%

The number of people employed as Dentists has been declining at a rate of -0.239%, from 141,185 people in 2017 to 140,847 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Dentists employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dentists at 91.7%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 3.28% and Outpatient care centers with 0.905%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Dentists in the US. The average age of male Dentists in the workforce is 50.2 and of female Dentists is 42.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dentists is White.

Gender Composition

89.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,358

51k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,542

63.8% of Dentists are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Dentists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dentists

White
Asian
Black

73.1% of Dentists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 19.6% of Dentists, Asian is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dentists.

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Age by Gender

50.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.1

42.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.17

The median age of Dentists is 47.4, and Male employees are generally 7.87 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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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

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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.