Dentists

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2019 Workforce

155k

Average Age

47.1

Average Salary

$184,645

Average Male Salary

$204,163

Average Female Salary

$146,477

About

Dentists are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dentists was $184,645 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dentists by wage are Chief executives & legislators, Architectural & engineering managers, 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 Upper East Side PUMA, NY, Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ, and San Diego (Northwest/San Dieguito) & Encinitas Cities PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dentists are Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ, North Hempstead Town (North) PUMA, NY, and Wellington Village & Agricultural Reserve PUMA, FL.

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 Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Renville & Sibley Counties PUMA, MN but are relatively concentrated in Tenafly, Park Ridge & Cresskill Boroughs PUMA, NJ.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$184,645

AVERAGE SALARY

± $9,112

In 2019, Dentists earned an average of $184,645, $129,121 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

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

Wage Distribution

0.385

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Dentists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.385, 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, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, Administration of human resource programs, U. S. Army, Justice, public order, & safety activities , and Offices of physicians.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dentists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Offices of dentists, and Outpatient care centers.

Industries by Share

155k

2019 Workforce

± 9,648

9.76%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.24%

The number of people employed as Dentists has been growing at a rate of 9.76%, from 140,847 people in 2018 to 154,590 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Dentists employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dentists at 92.7%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 2.17% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 1.1%.

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 41.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dentists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

102k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,849

52.3k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,614

66.2% 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)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

69.8% of Dentists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 19% 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

50.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.03

41.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.16

The median age of Dentists is 47.1, and Male employees are generally 8.96 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.