Dental Lab Technician Salary in Tennessee: What Dental Lab Technicians Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$40,470
Median (50th)
$48,880
75th percentile
$62,540
National median
$49,610
BLS OEWS (SOC 51-9081), May 2025
What does a dental lab technician make in Tennessee?
The median dental lab technician in Tennessee earns $48,880 a year ($23.50 an hour), which is $730 below the national median of $49,610, but less than in nearby Virginia ($51,900), Arkansas ($49,960) and North Carolina ($49,700). The mean is $53,920.
That ranks 20th of the 46 states where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Tennessee
The middle half of Tennessee dental lab technicians earn $40,470 to $62,540. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $36,520, $140 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $79,020, $2,080 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Tennessee
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Tennessee's 2024 price level at 91.9 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 8.1% below the national average, and housing (index 79.1) runs 20.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $48,880 median is worth about $53,210 — $3,600 above the national median of $49,610.
How many dental lab technicians work in Tennessee
BLS counts about 610 dental lab technician jobs in Tennessee, 1.8% of the 34,410 nationwide, or 0.185 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental lab technicians hold a 16% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.84).
Dental Lab Technician Salary by City in Tennessee
Across the 4 Tennessee metro areas where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median, pay runs from $48,880 in Kingsport to $55,340 in Knoxville, a spread of $6,460.
All dental roles by metro: Kingsport · Knoxville · Memphis · Nashville
Who's hiring dental lab technicians in Tennessee now
DentistryHires has no open dental lab technician listings in Tennessee at the moment.
Dental Lab Technician Regulatory Context in Tennessee
Dental lab technician practice in Tennessee is regulated by the Tennessee Board of Dentistry.
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 Tennessee Compares
Virginia
$51,900
+5% vs. national
Virginia salary →
Arkansas
$49,960
+1% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
North Carolina
$49,700
+0% vs. national
North Carolina salary →
Georgia
$49,310
-1% vs. national
Georgia salary →
Mississippi
$47,770
-4% vs. national
Mississippi salary →
Missouri
$46,870
-6% vs. national
Missouri salary →
Kentucky
$46,770
-6% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Alabama
$45,760
-8% vs. national
Alabama salary →
Other dental salaries in Tennessee
- Dentist salary in Tennessee: median $215,290, $166,410 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Tennessee: median $84,640, $35,760 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Assistant salary in Tennessee: median $46,720, $2,160 below the dental lab technician median
- Orthodontist salary in Tennessee: median $339,610
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.