Dentist.
Salt Lake City.
$168,000
median salary, 3% below the national average
$122,000 to $213,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Dentist offer in Salt Lake City, UT, here is the reality: $122,000 to $213,000, with $168,000 as the midpoint. 3% below the national average. Specialization is the largest pay driver, with oral surgeons, orthodontists, and endodontists earning well above general dentists. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Dentist in Salt Lake City, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $129,250 for Dentists, General (SOC 29-1021) in the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metropolitan area, based on 150 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$86,250
25th percentile
$112,140
Median
$129,250
75th percentile
$157,620
90th percentile
$206,410
Workers surveyed
150
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $168,000 is 30% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Dentists, General covers a different population than the Dentist title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Dentists, General (SOC 29-1021) rather than Dentist specifically. The Salt Lake City range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1021Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $151,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$109,000
to $134,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$143,000
to $176,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$185,000
to $218,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$210,000
to $260,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $34,000 to the total package.
Base
$168,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $202,000
How Salt Lake City compares.
Salt Lake City, UT
$168,000
Cost of living: 2% below average
National Average
$173,000
Salt Lake City is $5,000 below
Dentist salary by city.
Salary by role in Salt Lake City.
What you should know.
Here is what the Dentist market actually looks like in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City anchors the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, home to companies like Qualtrics, Pluralsight, and Domo. The region has attracted significant venture investment and tech relocations. Utah's business friendly environment, young educated workforce, and outdoor lifestyle make it a rising destination for tech professionals seeking affordability without sacrificing career growth. Specialization is the largest pay driver, with oral surgeons, orthodontists, and endodontists earning well above general dentists. Practice ownership versus associateship creates a wide income gap. Geographic location and local competition density affect patient volume and fee schedules, while cosmetic and implant services generate the highest per-procedure revenue.
New associate dentists earn $130,000 to $160,000 on a base plus production model. Experienced associates with five to seven years reach $175,000 to $220,000. Practice owners or partners in multi-location groups can earn $250,000 to $400,000 or more depending on practice profitability. In Salt Lake City, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Associate dentists often receive production-based bonuses of 25 to 35% of collections above a base guarantee. Practice owners retain higher gross income but carry overhead of 55 to 65%. Benefits for associates include malpractice coverage, CE stipends, and health insurance. And on the tax side: utah has a flat 4.65% state income tax. Salt Lake City imposes no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with affordable living costs results in strong net compensation. When someone quotes you $168,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference Silicon Slopes growth when negotiating. Local employers are increasingly matching 85 to 95% of Seattle or Bay Area salaries to compete for tech talent. The range for Dentists in Salt Lake City runs from $122,000 to $213,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An ML Product Manager in Salt Lake City earns $166,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Salt Lake City is CTO at $306,000
Common questions.
Dentist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Salt Lake City.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Dentists in Salt Lake City.
Related tools.
Do you work as a dentist in Salt Lake City?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Dentist Salary in Salt Lake City, UT." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/dentist/salt-lake-city
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools