Dentist Salary in Louisiana: What Dentists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$101,670
Median (50th)
$170,750
75th percentile
$213,660
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in Louisiana?
The median dentist in Louisiana earns $170,750 a year ($82.09 an hour), which is $200 below the national median of $170,950, and more than in nearby Texas ($162,360) and Mississippi ($143,660) but less than in Arkansas ($178,930). The mean is $176,540.
That ranks 22nd of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Louisiana
The middle half of Louisiana dentists earn $101,670 to $213,660. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $80,530, $5,720 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $309,360, $10,270 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Louisiana
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Louisiana's 2024 price level at 88.2 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 11.8% below the national average, and housing (index 63.1) runs 36.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $170,750 median is worth about $193,580 — $22,630 above the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in Louisiana
BLS counts about 1,500 dentist jobs in Louisiana, 1.2% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 0.777 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dentists hold a 3% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.97).
Dentist Salary by City in Louisiana
Across the 8 Louisiana metro areas where BLS publishes a dentist median, pay runs from $114,470 in Lake Charles to $198,050 in New Orleans, a spread of $83,580.
All dental roles by metro: Baton Rouge · Lafayette · Lake Charles · Monroe · New Orleans · Shreveport · Slidell
Who's hiring dentists in Louisiana now
DentistryHires has 7 open dentist listings in Louisiana from 3 employers, the most of them in Baton Rouge (3). None of them posts a pay figure.
Dentist Regulatory Context in Louisiana
Dentist practice in Louisiana is regulated by the Louisiana State 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 Louisiana Compares
Other dental salaries in Louisiana
- Dental Hygienist salary in Louisiana: median $85,240, $85,510 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Louisiana: median $44,090, $126,660 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Louisiana: median $38,490, $132,260 below the dentist 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.