How much does a Dentist make in Kentucky?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,550 for Dentists in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $101,080 and the 75th-percentile is $214,060.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dentist salary in Kentucky?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kentucky), the real-wage equivalent is $150,795 — what the $135,550 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $112,449 to $238,135.

How are Kentucky Dentist salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How many Dentists does Kentucky employ?

BLS OES counts 910 Dentists employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Kentucky rank for Dentist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Kentucky ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Kentucky?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Kentucky.

DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Kentucky?

BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Kentucky, DSO-employed dentists typically start at or above BLS median with production-bonus upside but cap below long-tenure solo owner total earnings. Solo private practice in Kentucky pays below DSO at the associate level but compounds via ownership equity, equipment depreciation, and tax-deferred retirement contributions over a 10-20 year career. Specialist dentists (orthodontists, oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists) in Kentucky are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.

How Much Do Dentists Make in Kentucky? $136K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Median Dentist salary in Kentucky: $135,550 nominal, $150,795 real (BEA RPP basis).
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $101,080, P50 $135,550, P75 $214,060. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $15,245 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Nominal: #42/51 · Real: #39/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Kentucky

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$68,280	$75,960
P25 (lower quartile)	$101,080	$112,449
P50 (median)	$135,550	$150,795
P75 (upper quartile)	$214,060	$238,135
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$179,380	$199,555
Employment	910 Dentists in Kentucky

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kentucky index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	94.5
Services	80.9
Rents	62.9

Kentucky 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 62.9.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$135,550	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$21,350	15.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,630	3.5% flat 2026 (+ local 1-2.5% avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,370	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$99,201	73.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$110,358	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $99,201 (73.2% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $110,358. Local-tax overlay: Most Kentucky counties + cities add 1–2.5% occupational license tax (Louisville ~2.2%, Lexington 2.25%).

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. Kentucky sits at #42 on nominal pay and #39 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kentucky climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in Kentucky?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $135,550 for Dentists in Kentucky as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $101,080 and the 75th-percentile is $214,060.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dentist salary in Kentucky?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kentucky), the real-wage equivalent is $150,795 — what the $135,550 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $112,449 to $238,135.
How are Kentucky Dentist salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How many Dentists does Kentucky employ?: BLS OES counts 910 Dentists employed in Kentucky in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Kentucky rank for Dentist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Kentucky ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Kentucky?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Kentucky.
DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Kentucky?: BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Kentucky, DSO-employed dentists typically start at or above BLS median with production-bonus upside but cap below long-tenure solo owner total earnings. Solo private practice in Kentucky pays below DSO at the associate level but compounds via ownership equity, equipment depreciation, and tax-deferred retirement contributions over a 10-20 year career. Specialist dentists (orthodontists, oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists) in Kentucky are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.

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 Kentucky 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.