Dentist Salary in Illinois: What Dentists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$124,800
Median (50th)
$156,110
75th percentile
$272,510
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in Illinois?
The median dentist in Illinois earns $156,110 a year ($75.06 an hour), which is $14,840 below the national median of $170,950, but less than in nearby Missouri ($204,960), Wisconsin ($193,690) and Iowa ($181,520). The mean is $193,050.
That ranks 41st of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Illinois
The middle half of Illinois dentists earn $124,800 to $272,510. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $123,920, $37,670 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $291,530, $28,100 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Illinois
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Illinois's 2024 price level at 100.0 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run level with the national average, and housing (index 93.9) runs 6.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $156,110 median is worth about $156,180 — $14,770 below the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in Illinois
BLS counts about 6,940 dentist jobs in Illinois, 5.6% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 1.138 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dentists hold a 42% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.42).
Dentist Salary by City in Illinois
Across the 7 Illinois metro areas where BLS publishes a dentist median, pay runs from $137,390 in Kankakee to $214,670 in Rockford, a spread of $77,280.
All dental roles by metro: Bloomington · Champaign · Chicago · Kankakee · Peoria · Rockford · Springfield
Who's hiring dentists in Illinois now
DentistryHires has 29 open dentist listings in Illinois from 6 employers, led by Chicago and Rockford (3 each).
11 post a salary from $125,000 to $375,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dentist Regulatory Context in Illinois
Dentist practice in Illinois is regulated by the Illinois Board of Dentistry.
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 Illinois Compares
Other dental salaries in Illinois
- Dental Hygienist salary in Illinois: median $96,670, $59,440 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Illinois: median $48,610, $107,500 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Illinois: median $51,380, $104,730 below the dentist median
- Orthodontist salary in Illinois: median $343,100
- Oral Surgeon salary in Illinois: median $70,220
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.