Orthodontist salary in Kentucky

At a modeled median of $260,230, orthodontists in Kentucky earn modestly below the U.S. median of $289,140 — a gap of about 10%. Among the 51 states where the BLS reports orthodontist pay, Kentucky ranks 37th.

The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of orthodontists in this state earn around $89,870, while the top tenth earn $374,400 or more — a spread of about $284,530. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.

Within Kentucky, a orthodontist earns about 1.9× what a general dentist earns, about 3.3× what a dental hygienist earns and about 5.5× what a dental assistant earns ($134,160, $78,830, $47,730 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.

Within the state, orthodontist pay is highest in Louisville at about $263,700 and lowest in Elizabethtown at about $234,780. Metro-level demand and cost of living explain most of the in-state variation — see the metro breakdown below.