How much does a Dentist make in Minnesota?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $209,820 for Dentists in Minnesota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $193,040 and the 75th-percentile is $210,950.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.3 for Minnesota), the real-wage equivalent is $213,444 — what the $209,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $196,374 to $214,594.

How are Minnesota 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.

Where does Minnesota rank for Dentist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Minnesota 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.

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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Minnesota?

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 Minnesota.

Dentist Pay in Minnesota: $210K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

$209,820 is the BLS median wage for Dentists in Minnesota; $213,444 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #6 of 51; nominal rank is #4.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $193,040, P50 $209,820, P75 $210,950. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.

Wage breakdown — Minnesota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$161,980	$164,778
P25 (lower quartile)	$193,040	$196,374
P50 (median)	$209,820	$213,444
P75 (upper quartile)	$210,950	$214,594
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$224,700	$228,581
Employment	2,500 Dentists in Minnesota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Minnesota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.3
Goods	102.1
Services	89.4
Rents	90.7

Minnesota's overall RPP (98.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$209,820	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$39,175	18.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$13,814	5.35–9.85% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$14,514	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$142,317	67.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$144,775	÷ (98.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Minnesota carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (6.6% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 32.2%, leaving $142,317 pre-RPP and $144,775 after the 98.3 cost-of-living index — a $65,045 gap from the headline gross.

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. Minnesota sits at #4 on nominal pay and #6 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Minnesota falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in Minnesota?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $209,820 for Dentists in Minnesota as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $193,040 and the 75th-percentile is $210,950.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dentist salary in Minnesota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.3 for Minnesota), the real-wage equivalent is $213,444 — what the $209,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $196,374 to $214,594.
How are Minnesota 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.
Where does Minnesota rank for Dentist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Minnesota 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.
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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Minnesota?: 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 Minnesota.

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 Minnesota 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.