Dentist Salary in Missouri: What Dentists Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Missouri dentist listings
$300,000/yrmedian
Posted ranges run $230,400–$460,800/yr, from 3 distinct pay ranges at 2 employers (Westphalia Holdings, Lumio Dental).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 12, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$131,980
Median (50th)
$204,960
75th percentile
$334,680
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in Missouri?
The median dentist in Missouri earns $204,960 a year ($98.54 an hour), which is $34,010 above the national median of $170,950, and more than in nearby Iowa ($181,520) and Nebraska ($179,750) but less than in Tennessee ($215,290).
The mean is $241,580.
That ranks 9th of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Missouri
The middle half of Missouri dentists earn $131,980 to $334,680.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $95,610, $9,360 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $427,970, $108,340 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Missouri
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Missouri's 2024 price level at 90.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.2% below the national average, and housing (index 69.9) runs 30.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $204,960 median is worth about $225,680 — $54,730 above the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in Missouri
BLS counts about 2,440 dentist jobs in Missouri, 2.0% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 0.83 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dentists hold a 4% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.04).
Dentist Salary by City in Missouri
Across the 7 Missouri metro areas where BLS publishes a dentist median, pay runs from $171,690 in Kansas City to $214,100 in Springfield, a spread of $42,410.
All dental roles by metro: Columbia · Jefferson City · Joplin · Kansas City · St. Joseph · St. Louis
What Dentist Job Listings in Missouri Show Right Now
From the 41 active dentist listings on DentistryHires as of November 12, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
Pay employers post
- 15% of dentist listings in Missouri state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 76%
- Health insurancenamed in 73%
- 401(k) plannamed in 39%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 39%
- Malpractice insurancenamed in 39%
- Paid time offnamed in 39%
- Uncapped earning potentialnamed in 34%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 29%
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 41 jobs →Dentist Regulatory Context in Missouri
Dentist practice in Missouri is regulated by the Missouri 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 Missouri Compares
Tennessee
$215,290
+26% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
Iowa
$181,520
+6% vs. national
Iowa salary →
Nebraska
$179,750
+5% vs. national
Nebraska salary →
Arkansas
$178,930
+5% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
Oklahoma
$166,170
-3% vs. national
Oklahoma salary →
Illinois
$156,110
-9% vs. national
Illinois salary →
Kentucky
$134,160
-22% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Other dental salaries in Missouri
- Dental Hygienist salary in Missouri: median $92,750, $112,210 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Missouri: median $45,970, $158,990 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Missouri: median $46,870, $158,090 below the dentist median
- Orthodontist salary in Missouri: median $332,630
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.