General dentists earn an average annual salary of $130,550 in Mississippi, the worst state for healthcare, according to U.S. News & World Report.
The publication ranked all 50 states in its "Best States" rankings using eight metrics, including healthcare. The healthcare category was broken up into three metrics: healthcare access, healthcare quality and public health outcomes. Read more on the methodology here.
The salary data for dentists in each state was compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS released updated compensation data April 3 to reflect May 2023 information — the latest available.
Here is the mean annual salary for general dentists in the 10 worst states for healthcare:
Note: Compensation data was not available for every state.
1. Mississippi: $130,550
2. Oklahoma: $208,450
3. West Virginia: $181,980
4. Arkansas: $168,760
5. Louisiana: $164,340
6. Missouri: N/A
7. Alabama: $179,000
8. South Dakota: $142,830
9. Tennessee: $164,410
10. Indiana: $200,000