Dental Lab Technician Salary in California: What Dental Lab Technicians Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$39,190
Median (50th)
$47,410
75th percentile
$60,750
National median
$49,610
BLS OEWS (SOC 51-9081), May 2025
What does a dental lab technician make in California?
The median dental lab technician in California earns $47,410 a year ($22.80 an hour), which is $2,200 below the national median of $49,610, but less than in nearby Oregon ($48,800), Nevada ($48,190) and Arizona ($47,930). The mean is $53,210.
That ranks 32nd of the 46 states where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median.
Entry-level vs top earners in California
The middle half of California dental lab technicians earn $39,190 to $60,750. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $36,660, level with the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $74,200, $2,740 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in California
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts California's 2024 price level at 110.7 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 10.7% above the national average, and housing (index 154.3) runs 54.3% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,410 median is worth about $42,820 — $6,790 below the national median of $49,610.
How many dental lab technicians work in California
BLS counts about 4,480 dental lab technician jobs in California, 13.0% of the 34,410 nationwide, or 0.246 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental lab technicians hold an 11% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.11).
Dental Lab Technician Salary by City in California
Across the 12 California metro areas where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median, pay runs from $45,010 in Fresno to $65,500 in Santa Rosa, a spread of $20,490.
All dental roles by metro: Fresno · Los Angeles · Oxnard · Riverside · Sacramento · San Francisco · San Jose · Stockton
Who's hiring dental lab technicians in California now
DentistryHires has no open dental lab technician listings in California at the moment.
Dental Lab Technician Regulatory Context in California
Dental lab technician practice in California is regulated by the Dental Board of California.
Scope of practice — what a dental lab technician may do, and under what level of supervision — is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How California Compares
Other dental salaries in California
- Dentist salary in California: median $165,950, $118,540 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Hygienist salary in California: median $124,930, $77,520 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Assistant salary in California: median $50,110, $2,700 above the dental lab technician median
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates, all industries); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Price-adjusted pay divides the median by the price level. Listing counts and posted pay are live DentistryHires listings, refreshed hourly. A dash means BLS did not publish that figure; nothing is estimated.