General Dentist salary in Hickory
Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Hickory metro earns $193,320 ($92.94/hr). Hickory pays roughly 13% above the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Hickory: the analysis
At a verified median of $193,320, general dentists in Hickory earn notably above the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 13%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Hickory ranks 93rd.
Compared with North Carolina as a whole (median $207,000), Hickory pays general dentists about 7% 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 $119,840, while the top tenth earn $312,820 or more — a spread of about $192,980. 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 130 general dentists employed in Hickory — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Hickory, a general dentist earns about 2.1× what a dental hygienist earns and about 4.0× what a dental assistant earns ($94,050, $48,720 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Hickory (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $119,840 |
| 25th percentilei | $153,840 |
| Median (50th)i | $193,320 |
| 75th percentilei | $260,960 |
| 90th percentilei | $312,820 |
| Mean (average)i | $200,480 |
North Carolina context
North Carolina verified median: $207,000.
General Dentist salary in North Carolina →Estimate your pay
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How much does a general dentist make in Hickory?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Hickory metro earns about $193,320 ($92.94/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Hickory general dentist pay compare to North Carolina overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Hickory metro median is about $193,320, versus the verified BLS OEWS North Carolina statewide median of about $207,000.
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