How much does a Dentist make in West Virginia?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $147,440 for Dentists in West Virginia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $106,940 and the 75th-percentile is $203,040.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.6 for West Virginia), the real-wage equivalent is $164,493 — what the $147,440 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $119,309 to $226,524.

Why is the BEA RPP for West Virginia 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. West Virginia's overall index of 89.6 reflects rents 56.2, services 87.8, and goods 95.7.

Is West Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Dentists?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.6 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $147,440 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $164,493. 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 West Virginia?

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 West Virginia, 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.

How Much Do Dentists Make in West Virginia? $147K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports West Virginia Dentist median pay at $147,440. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $164,493.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #33 of 51; nominal rank is #39.
Low BEA RPP (89.6) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $17,053.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $106,940, P50 $147,440, P75 $203,040. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.

Wage breakdown — West Virginia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$65,490	$73,065
P25 (lower quartile)	$106,940	$119,309
P50 (median)	$147,440	$164,493
P75 (upper quartile)	$203,040	$226,524
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$171,380	$191,202
Employment	400 Dentists in West Virginia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	West Virginia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.6
Goods	95.7
Services	87.8
Rents	56.2

West Virginia sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.6), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.2.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dentist)	$147,440	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$24,204	16.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$6,254	2.27–4.82% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$11,279	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$105,703	71.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$117,929	÷ (89.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the West Virginia state-tax burden means for Dentist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $105,703 (71.7% of gross). After the 89.6 RPP, real take-home is $117,929.

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. West Virginia sits at #39 on nominal pay and #33 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, West Virginia climbs 6 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dentist make in West Virginia?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $147,440 for Dentists in West Virginia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $106,940 and the 75th-percentile is $203,040.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dentist salary in West Virginia?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.6 for West Virginia), the real-wage equivalent is $164,493 — what the $147,440 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $119,309 to $226,524.
Why is the BEA RPP for West Virginia 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. West Virginia's overall index of 89.6 reflects rents 56.2, services 87.8, and goods 95.7.
Is West Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Dentists?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 89.6 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $147,440 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $164,493. 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 West Virginia?: 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 West Virginia, 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.

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 West Virginia 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.