General Dentist salary in Santa Maria
Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, CA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Santa Maria metro earns $170,940 ($82.18/hr). Santa Maria is about the national median ($170,950).
General Dentist pay in Santa Maria: the analysis
At a verified median of $170,940, general dentists in Santa Maria earn about the U.S. median. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Santa Maria ranks 171st.
Compared with California as a whole (median $165,950), Santa Maria pays general dentists about 3% more — slightly 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 $103,610, while the top tenth earn $266,910 or more — a spread of about $163,300. 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 140 general dentists employed in Santa Maria — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Maria, a general dentist earns about 1.3× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.3× what a dental assistant earns ($135,990, $51,310 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Santa Maria (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $103,610 |
| 25th percentilei | $126,820 |
| Median (50th)i | $170,940 |
| 75th percentilei | $215,580 |
| 90th percentilei | $266,910 |
| Mean (average)i | $175,100 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Santa Maria?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Santa Maria metro earns about $170,940 ($82.18/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Maria general dentist pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Maria metro median is about $170,940, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $165,950.
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