Dentist Salary in Missouri: What Dentists Earn in 2026
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
Who's hiring dentists in Missouri now
DentistryHires has 47 open dentist listings in Missouri from 8 employers, the most of them in Kansas City (7).
7 post a salary from $230,400 to $460,800 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
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.