How much does a Dentist make in Washington?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $197,950 for Dentists in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $147,690 and the 75th-percentile is $219,690.

Why is the BEA RPP for Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.

Where does Washington rank for Dentist pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Washington 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.

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 Washington?

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 Washington, 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 Washington?

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

Washington Dentist Salary: BLS $198K Median, Real $183K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Washington Dentist median pay at $197,950. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $182,661.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $147,690, P50 $197,950, P75 $219,690. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
Dentist ranking: #9 on the BLS table, #22 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Washington

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$123,830	$114,266
P25 (lower quartile)	$147,690	$136,283
P50 (median)	$197,950	$182,661
P75 (upper quartile)	$219,690	$202,722
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$203,780	$188,041
Employment	3,100 Dentists in Washington

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Washington index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.4
Goods	106.9
Services	84.0
Rents	125.5

Washington is a high-cost state — RPP 108.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (125.5) and services (84.0).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$197,950	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$36,326	18.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (capital gains tax above $262K)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$14,253	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$147,371	74.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$135,988	÷ (108.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Washington levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $9,898 a year for a Dentist at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $135,988 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

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. Washington sits at #9 on nominal pay and #22 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Washington falls 13 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in Washington?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $197,950 for Dentists in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $147,690 and the 75th-percentile is $219,690.
Why is the BEA RPP for Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.
Where does Washington rank for Dentist pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Washington 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.
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 Washington?: 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 Washington, 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 Washington?: DDS/DMD programs run 4 years post-undergrad at $200K-$450K total tuition + $80K-$150K of foregone earnings. With Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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.