Dentists age 35 and under made up 17.7 percent of all practicing dentists in 2022, according to the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Benchmarking
Dentists typically make between $172,000 and $187,000 per year in the 10 largest cities in the U.S.
Seven of the 10 top-paying metropolitan areas for dental hygienists are in California.
Three of the top four top-paying metropolitan areas for dental assistants are in California, according to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The average annual wage for dental hygienists in Vermont increased by $12,010 from 2021 to 2022, the biggest pay jump for the position of any state.
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Here is how 2022 average annual salaries for three professions in the dental industry compared with the 8 percent inflation rate from 2022, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Inflation Calculator.
Illinois and Rhode Island are the only two states where dental assistant pay dropped from 2021 to 2022, according to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The average annual wage for dental hygienists has dropped in six states from 2021 to 2022.
There were 10,906 practicing orthodontists and dentofacial orthopedists in the U.S. in 2022, according to the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
Home healthcare services is the highest-paying industry for dental hygienists in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.