Pay by state / Orthodontists
SOC 29-1023 · BLS OEWS May 2025 · 19 states published
Orthodontists: salary by state
The 6,210 orthodontists in the US earned a mean of $259,400 a year in May 2025 (median $289,140); the lowest-paid tenth earned under $99,850 and the highest-paid tenth over $416,000. By state, the mean ran from $167,240 in Georgia to $412,100 in Connecticut among states with a published figure; BLS does not print a wage for Indiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, where it is above the survey's top-code, so pay there may be higher still. BLS did not publish a wage for orthodontists in 31 of the 50 jurisdictions here, usually because too few work there to estimate reliably.
- 1US mean wage $259,400
- 2Highest published: Connecticut $412,100
- 3Lowest: Georgia $167,240
- 4Employed nationally 6,210
Where the jobs are
Relative to all jobs, orthodontists are most concentrated in Maine (0.095 per 1,000 jobs) and least in New York (0.014). Orthodontists are few — about 6,210 salaried nationwide, a figure that leaves out owners of their own practices, whom the OEWS survey does not count — so BLS suppresses many state figures.
| State | Employed | Per 1,000 jobs | Mean | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | – | – | $246,170 | $253,670 |
| Alaska | – | – | – | – |
| Arizona | 120 | 0.036 | $242,650 | $272,330 |
| Arkansas | – | – | – | – |
| California | – | – | – | – |
| Colorado | 160 | 0.054 | $404,120 | $416,000 |
| Connecticut | – | – | $412,100 | $478,680 |
| Delaware | – | – | – | – |
| District of Columbia | – | – | – | – |
| Florida | 450 | 0.045 | – | – |
| Georgia | – | – | $167,240 | $159,230 |
| Hawaii | – | – | – | – |
| Idaho | 40 | 0.048 | – | – |
| Illinois | – | – | $335,910 | $343,100 |
| Indiana | – | – | top-coded | top-coded |
| Iowa | – | – | – | – |
| Kentucky | – | – | – | – |
| Louisiana | – | – | – | – |
| Maine | 60 | 0.095 | $263,020 | $301,250 |
| Maryland | – | – | $315,180 | $361,030 |
| Massachusetts | – | – | – | – |
| Michigan | 140 | 0.031 | $327,310 | $357,090 |
| Minnesota | – | – | – | – |
| Mississippi | 90 | 0.08 | – | – |
| Missouri | – | – | $295,460 | $332,630 |
| Montana | – | – | $257,230 | $312,840 |
| Nebraska | – | – | top-coded | top-coded |
| Nevada | – | – | – | – |
| New Hampshire | – | – | – | – |
| New Jersey | – | – | – | – |
| New Mexico | – | – | – | – |
| New York | 130 | 0.014 | $188,400 | $172,980 |
| North Carolina | 160 | 0.032 | $277,320 | $224,990 |
| North Dakota | – | – | – | – |
| Ohio | 250 | 0.045 | $206,430 | $219,300 |
| Oklahoma | 30 | 0.018 | top-coded | top-coded |
| Oregon | – | – | – | – |
| Pennsylvania | – | – | $327,330 | $311,180 |
| Rhode Island | – | – | – | – |
| South Carolina | – | – | $292,350 | $311,450 |
| South Dakota | – | – | – | – |
| Tennessee | – | – | $302,050 | $339,610 |
| Texas | 1,070 | 0.076 | – | – |
| Utah | – | – | – | – |
| Vermont | – | – | – | – |
| Virginia | – | – | – | – |
| Washington | 290 | 0.081 | $276,250 | $290,430 |
| West Virginia | – | – | – | – |
| Wisconsin | 90 | 0.031 | $225,580 | $212,860 |
| Wyoming | – | – | – | – |
“–” = not published by BLS for that state (too few to estimate or confidential); “top-coded” = above the highest wage BLS publishes.
What it means for patients
Staff pay is one of the largest costs in a dental or orthodontic practice, alongside rent and equipment, so treatment fees tend to be higher where wages are. It is a tendency, not a rule: two practices in the same town can quote very differently. Use these figures for context and the calculator for your actual quote.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Checked 2026-10-24. Methodology.