Healthcare · Rankings

Best US Cities for Dentists

Top US cities for Dentists ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.

Top 10 cities by salary

#	City	Estimated salary	Cost mult.	vs national
1	San Francisco, CA	$228,600	1.45×	+$64,600
2	Honolulu, HI	$220,200	1.30×	+$56,200
3	Oakland, CA	$216,500	1.35×	+$52,500
4	Irvine, CA	$210,300	1.30×	+$46,300
5	Boston, MA	$210,100	1.22×	+$46,100
6	Scottsdale, AZ	$205,000	1.18×	+$41,000
7	New York City, NY	$200,700	1.32×	+$36,700
8	San Diego, CA	$199,400	1.21×	+$35,400
9	Yonkers, NY	$198,200	1.20×	+$34,200
10	Anchorage, AK	$198,200	1.20×	+$34,200

All 50 cities, ranked

#	City	Salary	Hourly
1	San Francisco, CA	$228,600	$110/hr
2	Honolulu, HI	$220,200	$106/hr
3	Oakland, CA	$216,500	$104/hr
4	Irvine, CA	$210,300	$101/hr
5	Boston, MA	$210,100	$101/hr
6	Scottsdale, AZ	$205,000	$99/hr
7	New York City, NY	$200,700	$96/hr
8	San Diego, CA	$199,400	$96/hr
9	Yonkers, NY	$198,200	$95/hr
10	Anchorage, AK	$198,200	$95/hr
11	Miami, FL	$197,400	$95/hr
12	Seattle, WA	$195,800	$94/hr
13	Long Beach, CA	$195,800	$94/hr
14	Anaheim, CA	$195,800	$94/hr
15	Chula Vista, CA	$192,100	$92/hr
16	Los Angeles, CA	$189,300	$91/hr
17	Baltimore, MD	$188,400	$91/hr
18	Portland, OR	$186,000	$89/hr
19	Newark, NJ	$186,000	$89/hr
20	Sacramento, CA	$186,000	$89/hr
21	Riverside, CA	$186,000	$89/hr
22	Philadelphia, PA	$184,600	$89/hr
23	Henderson, NV	$184,600	$89/hr
24	Denver, CO	$183,600	$88/hr
25	Orlando, FL	$183,300	$88/hr
26	Raleigh, NC	$182,000	$88/hr
27	Worcester, MA	$182,000	$88/hr
28	Stockton, CA	$179,900	$86/hr
29	Aurora, CO	$179,900	$86/hr
30	Hialeah, FL	$179,900	$86/hr
31	Las Vegas, NV	$178,700	$86/hr
32	Minneapolis, MN	$178,700	$86/hr
33	Plano, TX	$178,700	$86/hr
34	Houston, TX	$176,900	$85/hr
35	Phoenix, AZ	$176,300	$85/hr
36	Tampa, FL	$176,300	$85/hr
37	Gilbert, AZ	$176,300	$85/hr
38	Salt Lake City, UT	$176,300	$85/hr
39	New Orleans, LA	$174,400	$84/hr
40	Wilmington, DE	$173,800	$84/hr
41	St. Paul, MN	$173,800	$84/hr
42	Boise, ID	$173,800	$84/hr
43	Fresno, CA	$173,800	$84/hr
44	Nashville, TN	$172,700	$83/hr
45	Colorado Springs, CO	$172,700	$83/hr
46	St. Petersburg, FL	$172,700	$83/hr
47	Madison, WI	$172,700	$83/hr
48	St. Louis, MO	$170,600	$82/hr
49	Winston-Salem, NC	$170,600	$82/hr
50	Jacksonville, FL	$170,200	$82/hr
51	Mesa, AZ	$170,200	$82/hr
52	Chicago, IL	$169,700	$82/hr
53	Austin, TX	$169,700	$82/hr
54	Frisco, TX	$169,700	$82/hr
55	Tucson, AZ	$169,000	$81/hr
56	Glendale, AZ	$169,000	$81/hr
57	Spokane, WA	$169,000	$81/hr
58	Chandler, AZ	$168,600	$81/hr
59	Memphis, TN	$168,100	$81/hr
60	Pittsburgh, PA	$167,800	$81/hr
61	Tallahassee, FL	$167,800	$81/hr
62	Birmingham, AL	$166,700	$80/hr
63	Milwaukee, WI	$166,500	$80/hr
64	Albuquerque, NM	$166,500	$80/hr
65	Atlanta, GA	$166,300	$80/hr
66	Reno, NV	$166,300	$80/hr
67	Charleston, SC	$166,300	$80/hr
68	San Antonio, TX	$165,400	$80/hr
69	Grand Rapids, MI	$165,400	$80/hr
70	Detroit, MI	$164,100	$79/hr
71	Cincinnati, OH	$164,100	$79/hr
72	Lexington, KY	$164,100	$79/hr
73	Buffalo, NY	$164,100	$79/hr
74	Greensboro, NC	$164,100	$79/hr
75	Knoxville, TN	$164,100	$79/hr
76	Virginia Beach, VA	$164,000	$79/hr
77	Chesapeake, VA	$164,000	$79/hr
78	North Las Vegas, NV	$164,000	$79/hr
79	Dallas, TX	$162,900	$78/hr
80	El Paso, TX	$162,900	$78/hr
81	Cleveland, OH	$162,900	$78/hr
82	Bakersfield, CA	$162,900	$78/hr
83	Indianapolis, IN	$161,700	$78/hr
84	Louisville, KY	$161,700	$78/hr
85	Norfolk, VA	$161,700	$78/hr
86	Charlotte, NC	$160,600	$77/hr
87	Fort Worth, TX	$159,400	$77/hr
88	Garland, TX	$159,400	$77/hr
89	Toledo, OH	$159,200	$77/hr
90	Lubbock, TX	$159,200	$77/hr
91	Arlington, TX	$158,300	$76/hr
92	Wichita, KS	$156,800	$75/hr
93	Fort Wayne, IN	$156,800	$75/hr
94	Mobile, AL	$156,800	$75/hr
95	Columbus, OH	$154,800	$74/hr
96	Kansas City, MO	$154,800	$74/hr
97	Corpus Christi, TX	$154,800	$74/hr
98	Omaha, NE	$152,500	$73/hr
99	Oklahoma City, OK	$151,400	$73/hr
100	Lincoln, NE	$151,400	$73/hr

Does location actually decide Dentist pay?

Unlike remote-capable roles, a Dentist cannot separate where they earn from where they live. The $228,600 to $151,400 range across these metros is therefore a genuine relocation decision, not an arbitrage opportunity.

Licensing adds friction the ranking does not show. Dentist requires State license; accredited dental program plus written/clinical exams, and licenses are issued state by state. Moving for a higher salary can mean re-credentialing, which takes time and sometimes additional exams — check reciprocity with the destination board before treating a pay gap as attainable.

Highest-paying is not the same as best-off

The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In San Francisco, $228,600 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $192,600 a year after housing. In Lincoln, $151,400 against $950 leaves about $140,000. The top still wins after rent, but by $52,600 rather than the $77,200 the headline suggests.

Why these metros and not others

What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland). Where healthcare employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.

Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which city pays Dentists the most?▾

San Francisco, at roughly $228,600. Rent there averages $3,000 a month for a one-bedroom, so about $36,000 of that salary goes to housing before anything else. The metros near the top combine high local costs with concentrated healthcare employment — the second part is what actually lifts pay above the local baseline.

Should I move to the top-paying metro?▾

It depends what you keep, not what you earn. High-cost metros pay more but not proportionally more — that gap is exactly why the adjusted ranking reorders this list.

Can a Dentist work remotely from a cheaper city?▾

Largely no — the work has to be done on site. For this occupation the metro you live in and the metro that pays you are the same, which makes the ranking above a genuine relocation decision rather than something you can arbitrage.

Do I need a new license to work as a Dentist in another state?▾

Often yes. Dentist requires State license; accredited dental program plus written/clinical exams, issued state by state. Some states have reciprocity agreements that make the transfer routine; others require re-examination. Confirm with the destination board before treating a higher-paying metro as reachable.