Where does Nebraska rank for Dentist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Nebraska 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.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 90.3 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $168,110 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $186,193. 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Nebraska?

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 Nebraska.

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.

DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Nebraska?

BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Nebraska, 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.

Is dental school tuition ROI still positive in Nebraska?

DDS/DMD programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $200K-$450K total tuition + $80K-$150K of foregone earnings. With Nebraska 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 Nebraska commonly clear the BLS general-dentist P90 within their first 5 practice years.

Nebraska Dentist Salary: BLS $168K Median, Real $186K (2026)

TL;DR

Dentists in Nebraska earn a BLS median of $168,110, with real take-home of $186,193 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $110,570, P50 $168,110, P75 —. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $18,083.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #18 of 51; nominal rank is #26.

Wage breakdown — Nebraska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$75,410	$83,522
P25 (lower quartile)	$110,570	$122,464
P50 (median)	$168,110	$186,193
P75 (upper quartile)
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$185,360	$205,299
Employment	740 Dentists in Nebraska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Nebraska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	90.3
Goods	96.5
Services	79.4
Rents	74.3

Nebraska sits below the national baseline (RPP 90.3), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 74.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$168,110	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$29,164	17.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$8,688	2.46–5.84% (graduated, 3.99% top by 2027)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$12,860	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$117,397	69.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$130,025	÷ (90.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $117,397 (69.8% of gross). After the 90.3 RPP, real take-home is $130,025.

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. Nebraska sits at #26 on nominal pay and #18 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Nebraska climbs 8 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

Where does Nebraska rank for Dentist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Nebraska 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.
Is Nebraska a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Dentists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 90.3 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $168,110 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $186,193. 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Nebraska?: 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 Nebraska.
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.
DSO chain vs solo private practice dentist pay in Nebraska?: BLS does not split dental service organization (DSO: Heartland, Aspen, Pacific, Smile Brands) from solo private practice. In Nebraska, 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska are tracked under different SOC codes (29-1022, 29-1023, 29-1024) and earn substantially above general-dentist medians.
Is dental school tuition ROI still positive in Nebraska?: DDS/DMD programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $200K-$450K total tuition + $80K-$150K of foregone earnings. With Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.