General Dentist salary in Reading
Reading, PA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Reading metro earns $151,850 ($73.01/hr). Reading pays roughly 11% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Reading: the analysis
At a verified median of $151,850, general dentists in Reading earn modestly below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 11%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Reading ranks 294th.
Compared with Pennsylvania as a whole (median $163,390), Reading 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 $76,090, while the top tenth earn $314,070 or more — a spread of about $237,980. 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 120 general dentists employed in Reading — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Reading, a general dentist earns about 1.9× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.2× what a dental assistant earns ($80,300, $47,160 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Reading (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $76,090 |
| 25th percentilei | $107,730 |
| Median (50th)i | $151,850 |
| 75th percentilei | $215,100 |
| 90th percentilei | $314,070 |
| Mean (average)i | $180,520 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Reading?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Reading metro earns about $151,850 ($73.01/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Reading general dentist pay compare to Pennsylvania overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Reading metro median is about $151,850, versus the verified BLS OEWS Pennsylvania statewide median of about $163,390.
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