General Dentist salary in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN-GA
The verified BLS median general dentist in the Chattanooga metro earns $160,620 ($77.22/hr). Chattanooga pays roughly 6% below the national median of $170,950.
General Dentist pay in Chattanooga: the analysis
At a verified median of $160,620, general dentists in Chattanooga earn modestly below the U.S. median of $170,950 — a gap of about 6%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports general dentist pay, Chattanooga ranks 254th.
Compared with Tennessee as a whole (median $215,290), Chattanooga pays general dentists about 25% 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 $85,650, while the top tenth earn $299,990 or more — a spread of about $214,340. 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 190 general dentists employed in Chattanooga — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Chattanooga, a general dentist earns about 1.9× what a dental hygienist earns and about 3.5× what a dental assistant earns ($83,460, $46,360 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
General Dentist pay distribution — Chattanooga (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $85,650 |
| 25th percentilei | $103,990 |
| Median (50th)i | $160,620 |
| 75th percentilei | $249,420 |
| 90th percentilei | $299,990 |
| Mean (average)i | $181,120 |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a general dentist make in Chattanooga?
The verified BLS OEWS median general dentist in the Chattanooga metro earns about $160,620 ($77.22/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Chattanooga general dentist pay compare to Tennessee overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Chattanooga metro median is about $160,620, versus the verified BLS OEWS Tennessee statewide median of about $215,290.
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