General Dentist salary in Los Angeles
Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Los Angeles metro earns $139,990 ($67.30/hr). Los Angeles pays roughly 18% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Los Angeles: the analysis
At a verified median of $139,990, general dentists in Los Angeles earn notably below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 18%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Los Angeles ranks 330th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $165,950), Los Angeles pays general dentists about 16% 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 $74,510, while the top tenth earn $219,380 or more — a spread of about $144,870. 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 6,300 general dentists employed in Los Angeles — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Los Angeles, a general dentist earns about 1.1× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.0× what a dental assistant earns ($122,980, $46,900 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Los Angeles (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $74,510 |
| 25th percentilei | $75,570 |
| Median (50th)i | $139,990 |
| 75th percentilei | $197,510 |
| 90th percentilei | $219,380 |
| Mean (average)i | $147,970 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Los Angeles?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Los Angeles metro earns about $139,990 ($67.30/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Los Angeles general dentist pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Los Angeles metro median is about $139,990, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $165,950.
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