General Dentist salary in Athens
Athens–Clarke County, GA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Athens metro earns $166,440 ($80.02/hr). Athens pays roughly 3% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Athens: the analysis
At a verified median of $166,440, general dentists in Athens earn slightly below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Athens ranks 211th.
Compared with Georgia as a whole (median $206,760), Athens pays general dentists about 20% 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 $64,040, while the top tenth earn $326,260 or more — a spread of about $262,220. 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 40 general dentists employed in Athens — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Athens, a general dentist earns about 2.0× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.8× what a dental assistant earns ($81,830, $43,970 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Athens (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $64,040 |
| 25th percentilei | $121,740 |
| Median (50th)i | $166,440 |
| 75th percentilei | $230,090 |
| 90th percentilei | $326,260 |
| Mean (average)i | $185,270 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Athens?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Athens metro earns about $166,440 ($80.02/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Athens general dentist pay compare to Georgia overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Athens metro median is about $166,440, versus the verified BLS OEWS Georgia statewide median of about $206,760.
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