General Dentist salary in Waterloo
Waterloo–Cedar Falls, IA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Waterloo metro earns $163,600 ($78.66/hr). Waterloo pays roughly 4% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Waterloo: the analysis
At a verified median of $163,600, general dentists in Waterloo earn modestly below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 4%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Waterloo ranks 233rd.
Compared with Iowa as a whole (median $181,520), Waterloo pays general dentists about 10% 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 $101,000, while the top tenth earn $219,740 or more — a spread of about $118,740. 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 60 general dentists employed in Waterloo — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Waterloo, a general dentist earns about 2.0× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.4× what a dental assistant earns ($82,500, $47,970 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Waterloo (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $101,000 |
| 25th percentilei | $130,090 |
| Median (50th)i | $163,600 |
| 75th percentilei | $202,650 |
| 90th percentilei | $219,740 |
| Mean (average)i | $169,110 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Waterloo?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Waterloo metro earns about $163,600 ($78.66/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Waterloo general dentist pay compare to Iowa overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Waterloo metro median is about $163,600, versus the verified BLS OEWS Iowa statewide median of about $181,520.
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