General Dentist salary in Salem
Salem, OR
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Salem metro earns $212,310 ($102.07/hr). Salem pays roughly 24% above the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Salem: the analysis
At a verified median of $212,310, general dentists in Salem earn notably above the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 24%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Salem ranks 23rd.
Compared with Oregon as a whole (median $211,690), Salem 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 $151,040, while the top tenth earn $349,290 or more — a spread of about $198,250. 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 140 general dentists employed in Salem — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Salem, a general dentist earns about 1.8× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.6× what a dental assistant earns ($119,050, $59,210 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Salem (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $151,040 |
| 25th percentilei | $186,720 |
| Median (50th)i | $212,310 |
| 75th percentilei | $311,460 |
| 90th percentilei | $349,290 |
| Mean (average)i | $241,180 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Salem?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Salem metro earns about $212,310 ($102.07/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Salem general dentist pay compare to Oregon overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Salem metro median is about $212,310, versus the verified BLS OEWS Oregon statewide median of about $211,690.
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