General Dentist salary in Columbus
Columbus, OH
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Columbus metro earns $166,180 ($79.89/hr). Columbus pays roughly 3% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Columbus: the analysis
At a verified median of $166,180, general dentists in Columbus 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, Columbus ranks 213th.
Compared with Ohio as a whole (median $167,410), Columbus tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $64,100, while the top tenth earn $306,960 or more — a spread of about $242,860. 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 780 general dentists employed in Columbus — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Columbus, a general dentist earns about 1.7× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.4× what a dental assistant earns ($96,880, $48,760 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Columbus (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $64,100 |
| 25th percentilei | $65,260 |
| Median (50th)i | $166,180 |
| 75th percentilei | $204,610 |
| 90th percentilei | $306,960 |
| Mean (average)i | $154,660 |
Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Columbus?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Columbus metro earns about $166,180 ($79.89/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Columbus general dentist pay compare to Ohio overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Columbus metro median is about $166,180, versus the verified BLS OEWS Ohio statewide median of about $167,410.
Last updated