General Dentist salary in Illinois

At a verified median of $156,110, general dentists in Illinois earn modestly below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 9%. Among the 51 states where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Illinois ranks 43rd.

The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of general dentists in this state earn around $123,920, while the top tenth earn $291,530 or more — a spread of about $167,610. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.

The BLS counts roughly 6,940 general dentists employed in Illinois — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.

Within Illinois, a general dentist earns about 1.6× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.2× what a dental assistant earns ($96,670, $48,610 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.

Within the state, general dentist pay is highest in Rockford at about $214,670 and lowest in Kankakee at about $137,390. Metro-level demand and cost of living explain most of the in-state variation — see the metro breakdown below.