General Dentist salary in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, LA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Lake Charles metro earns $114,470 ($55.03/hr). Lake Charles pays roughly 33% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Lake Charles: the analysis
At a verified median of $114,470, general dentists in Lake Charles earn substantially below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 33%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Lake Charles ranks 375th.
Compared with Louisiana as a whole (median $170,750), Lake Charles pays general dentists about 33% 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 $66,840, while the top tenth earn $263,990 or more — a spread of about $197,150. 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 Lake Charles — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lake Charles, a general dentist earns about 1.4× what a dental hygienist earns and about 2.8× what a dental assistant earns ($84,080, $40,200 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Lake Charles (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $66,840 |
| 25th percentilei | $97,870 |
| Median (50th)i | $114,470 |
| 75th percentilei | $181,550 |
| 90th percentilei | $263,990 |
| Mean (average)i | $148,680 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Lake Charles?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Lake Charles metro earns about $114,470 ($55.03/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lake Charles general dentist pay compare to Louisiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lake Charles metro median is about $114,470, versus the verified BLS OEWS Louisiana statewide median of about $170,750.
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