Connecticut has the highest hourly mean wage for general dentists in the U.S., while Colorado has the highest hourly mean wage for the profession when adjusted for cost of living, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Below are the mean annual and hourly wages for orthodontists in 19 states, based on May 2025 salary data published by the bureau. In addition, Becker’s calculated mean hourly wages adjusted for each state’s cost of living using 2025 cost-of-living index data from World Population Review.
Across the U.S., orthodontists earn an average annual wage of $259,400.
The agency updated salary data May 15 to reflect 2025 information, the latest available.
Note: Compensation data was not available for every state.
| State | Annual Wage | Hourly Wage | Cost of living index (2025) | Hourly rate, adjusted by COLI |
| Alabama | $246,170 | $118.35 | 88.6 | $133.58 |
| Arizona | $242,650 | $116.66 | 110.7 | $105.38 |
| Colorado | $404,120 | $194.29 | 102.7 | $189.18 |
| Connecticut | $412,100 | $198.13 | 112.7 | $175.80 |
| Georgia | $167,240 | $80.41 | 92.5 | $86.93 |
| Illinois | $335,910 | $161.49 | 94.7 | $170.53 |
| Maine | $263,020 | $126.45 | 113.0 | $111.90 |
| Maryland | $315,180 | $151.53 | 115.4 | $131.31 |
| Michigan | $327,310 | $157.36 | 90.1 | $174.65 |
| Missouri | $295,460 | $142.05 | 89.0 | $159.61 |
| Montana | $257,230 | $123.67 | 95.5 | $129.50 |
| New York | $188,400 | $90.58 | 125.1 | $72.41 |
| North Carolina | $277,320 | $133.33 | 97.8 | $136.33 |
| Ohio | $206,430 | $99.24 | 94.3 | $105.24 |
| Pennsylvania | $327,330 | $157.37 | 97.2 | $161.90 |
| South Carolina | $292,350 | $140.55 | 94.7 | $148.42 |
| Tennessee | $302,050 | $145.22 | 90.3 | $160.82 |
| Washington | $276,250 | $132.81 | 114.1 | $116.40 |
| Wisconsin | $225,580 | $108.45 | 97.7 | $111.00 |
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