General Dentist salary in Salinas
Salinas, CA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Salinas metro earns $185,040 ($88.96/hr). Salinas pays roughly 8% above the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Salinas: the analysis
At a verified median of $185,040, general dentists in Salinas earn modestly above the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 8%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Salinas ranks 109th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $165,950), Salinas pays general dentists about 12% more — notably above the statewide figure. 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 $104,610, while the top tenth earn $302,310 or more — a spread of about $197,700. 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 170 general dentists employed in Salinas — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Salinas, a general dentist earns about 1.5× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.3× what a dental assistant earns ($122,370, $56,790 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Salinas (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $104,610 |
| 25th percentilei | $140,860 |
| Median (50th)i | $185,040 |
| 75th percentilei | $274,880 |
| 90th percentilei | $302,310 |
| Mean (average)i | $202,730 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Salinas?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Salinas metro earns about $185,040 ($88.96/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Salinas general dentist pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Salinas metro median is about $185,040, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $165,950.
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