General Dentist salary in Tucson
Tucson, AZ
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Tucson metro earns $182,200 ($87.59/hr). Tucson pays roughly 7% above the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Tucson: the analysis
At a verified median of $182,200, general dentists in Tucson earn modestly above the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 7%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Tucson ranks 116th.
Compared with Arizona as a whole (median $194,180), Tucson pays general dentists about 6% less than the statewide median. Local demand, cost of labor, and the mix of practices drive most of that difference.
The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of general dentists in this metro area earn around $86,950, while the top tenth earn $267,980 or more — a spread of about $181,030. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and local demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.
The BLS counts roughly 330 general dentists employed in Tucson — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Tucson, a general dentist earns about 1.9× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.8× what a dental assistant earns ($96,740, $47,510 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Tucson (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $86,950 |
| 25th percentilei | $121,170 |
| Median (50th)i | $182,200 |
| 75th percentilei | $204,620 |
| 90th percentilei | $267,980 |
| Mean (average)i | $176,200 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Tucson?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Tucson metro earns about $182,200 ($87.59/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Tucson general dentist pay compare to Arizona overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Tucson metro median is about $182,200, versus the verified BLS OEWS Arizona statewide median of about $194,180.
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