General Dentist salary in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Santa Cruz metro earns $175,950 ($84.59/hr). Santa Cruz pays roughly 3% above the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Santa Cruz: the analysis
At a verified median of $175,950, general dentists in Santa Cruz earn slightly above the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Santa Cruz ranks 140th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $165,950), Santa Cruz pays general dentists about 6% more — modestly 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 $106,520, while the top tenth earn $225,460 or more — a spread of about $118,940. 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 90 general dentists employed in Santa Cruz — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Cruz, a general dentist earns about 1.3× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.0× what a dental assistant earns ($130,600, $58,580 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Santa Cruz (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $106,520 |
| 25th percentilei | $175,170 |
| Median (50th)i | $175,950 |
| 75th percentilei | $177,210 |
| 90th percentilei | $225,460 |
| Mean (average)i | $172,560 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Santa Cruz?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Santa Cruz metro earns about $175,950 ($84.59/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Cruz general dentist pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Cruz metro median is about $175,950, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $165,950.
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