Dentist Salary in Colorado: What Dentists Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Colorado dentist listings
$204,000/yrmedian
Posted ranges run $125,000–$225,000/yr, from 3 distinct pay ranges at 2 employers (Western Dental / Sonrava Health, Heartland Dental).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$103,820
Median (50th)
$166,240
75th percentile
$210,080
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in Colorado?
The median dentist in Colorado earns $166,240 a year ($79.92 an hour), which is $4,710 below the national median of $170,950, and more than in nearby Oklahoma ($166,170) but less than in Arizona ($194,180) and Nebraska ($179,750).
The mean is $160,810.
That ranks 31st of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Colorado
The middle half of Colorado dentists earn $103,820 to $210,080.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $84,590, $1,660 below the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $229,070, $90,560 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Colorado
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Colorado's 2024 price level at 103.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 3.1% above the national average, and housing (index 127.4) runs 27.4% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $166,240 median is worth about $161,320 — $9,630 below the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in Colorado
BLS counts about 2,940 dentist jobs in Colorado, 2.4% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 1.023 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dentists hold a 28% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.28).
Dentist Salary by City in Colorado
Across the 7 Colorado metro areas where BLS publishes a dentist median, pay runs from $154,940 in Greeley to $180,440 in Boulder, a spread of $25,500.
All dental roles by metro: Boulder · Denver · Greeley · Pueblo
What Dentist Job Listings in Colorado Show Right Now
From the 43 active dentist listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Pacific Dental Services32
- Heartland Dental3
- Western Dental / Sonrava Health3
- Comprehensive Mobile Care2
- Smile Brands2
Pay employers post
- 12% of dentist listings in Colorado state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Health insurancenamed in 91%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 86%
- 401(k) plannamed in 84%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 84%
- Malpractice insurancenamed in 79%
- Paid time offnamed in 12%
Source: active dentist listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 43 jobs →Dentist Regulatory Context in Colorado
Dentist practice in Colorado is regulated by the Colorado Dental Board.
Scope of practice — what a dentist 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 Colorado Compares
Other dental salaries in Colorado
- Dental Hygienist salary in Colorado: median $109,580, $56,660 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Colorado: median $48,340, $117,900 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Colorado: median $61,220, $105,020 below the dentist median
- Orthodontist salary in Colorado: median $416,000
- Oral Surgeon salary in Colorado: median $360,820
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.