How much does a Dentist make in Kansas?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $170,090 for Dentists in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $119,040 and the 75th-percentile is $202,860.

Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.

Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Dentists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $170,090 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $189,182. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Dentists comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Dentist salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does the BLS dentist median capture practice-owner income in Kansas?

Partially. BLS OEWS reports W-2 earnings, which captures dentist-owners who pay themselves a salary through the practice but excludes pass-through profit distributions (Schedule K-1 from S-corp or partnership), which can be the larger income component for established practice owners. In Kansas, this typically means the BLS-reported median understates total earnings for solo or small-group practice owners by 20-50% once distributions are netted in. Associate dentists employed by DSOs or owner-dentists are accurately represented by the BLS figure.

Is dental school tuition ROI still positive in Kansas?

DDS/DMD programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $200K-$450K total tuition + $80K-$150K of foregone earnings. With Kansas dentist median in the BLS table on this page and average 2024 graduating debt around $310K, breakeven on the cash investment typically lands 8-15 years post-graduation depending on practice setting and loan-repayment strategy. Specialty residency (3+ extra years in ortho/oral surgery/endo) substantially extends time-to-breakeven but lifts terminal earning power — specialty dentists in Kansas commonly clear the BLS general-dentist P90 within their first 5 practice years.

Dentist Pay in Kansas: $170K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Headline Dentist pay in Kansas is $170,090. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $189,182.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $19,092 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Quartile range $119,040 (bottom 25%) to $202,860 (top 25%). BLS suppresses the P10 or P90 tail for this state, typically because the top tier exceeds the OES wage cap.
State ranks #24 nationally on nominal wage, #15 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Kansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$67,610	$75,199
P25 (lower quartile)	$119,040	$132,402
P50 (median)	$170,090	$189,182
P75 (upper quartile)	$202,860	$225,631
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$172,120	$191,440
Employment	1,240 Dentists in Kansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	96.5
Services	90.8
Rents	68.6

Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.

After-tax take-home — Kansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$170,090	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$29,640	17.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$9,038	3.1–5.7% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$13,012	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$118,400	69.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$131,691	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Kansas state-tax burden means for Dentist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.3% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $118,400 (69.6% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $131,691.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $172,790 for Dentists with mean pay of $196,100 and total employment of 113,490. Kansas sits at #24 on nominal pay and #15 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in Kansas?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $170,090 for Dentists in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $119,040 and the 75th-percentile is $202,860.
Why is the BEA RPP for Kansas different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Kansas's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 68.6, services 90.8, and goods 96.5.
Is Kansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Dentists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.9 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $170,090 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $189,182. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Dentists comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Dentist salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does the BLS dentist median capture practice-owner income in Kansas?: Partially. BLS OEWS reports W-2 earnings, which captures dentist-owners who pay themselves a salary through the practice but excludes pass-through profit distributions (Schedule K-1 from S-corp or partnership), which can be the larger income component for established practice owners. In Kansas, this typically means the BLS-reported median understates total earnings for solo or small-group practice owners by 20-50% once distributions are netted in. Associate dentists employed by DSOs or owner-dentists are accurately represented by the BLS figure.
Is dental school tuition ROI still positive in Kansas?: DDS/DMD programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $200K-$450K total tuition + $80K-$150K of foregone earnings. With Kansas dentist median in the BLS table on this page and average 2024 graduating debt around $310K, breakeven on the cash investment typically lands 8-15 years post-graduation depending on practice setting and loan-repayment strategy. Specialty residency (3+ extra years in ortho/oral surgery/endo) substantially extends time-to-breakeven but lifts terminal earning power — specialty dentists in Kansas commonly clear the BLS general-dentist P90 within their first 5 practice years.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1021, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Kansas Dentist pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.