Dentist Salary in South Carolina: What Dentists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$121,090
Median (50th)
$158,640
75th percentile
$228,820
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in South Carolina?
The median dentist in South Carolina earns $158,640 a year ($76.27 an hour), which is $12,310 below the national median of $170,950, but less than in nearby North Carolina ($207,000) and Georgia ($206,760). The mean is $181,570.
That ranks 39th of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in South Carolina
The middle half of South Carolina dentists earn $121,090 to $228,820. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $96,920, $10,670 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $310,840, $8,790 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in South Carolina
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts South Carolina's 2024 price level at 93.7 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 6.3% below the national average, and housing (index 80.5) runs 19.5% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $158,640 median is worth about $169,220 — $1,730 below the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in South Carolina
BLS counts about 2,140 dentist jobs in South Carolina, 1.7% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 0.93 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dentists hold a 16% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.16).
Dentist Salary by City in South Carolina
All dental roles by metro: Myrtle Beach · Spartanburg
Who's hiring dentists in South Carolina now
DentistryHires has 44 open dentist listings in South Carolina from 3 employers, the most of them in Columbia (13). None of them posts a pay figure.
Dentist Regulatory Context in South Carolina
Dentist practice in South Carolina is regulated by the South Carolina 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 South Carolina Compares
Other dental salaries in South Carolina
- Dental Hygienist salary in South Carolina: median $84,340, $74,300 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in South Carolina: median $47,320, $111,320 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in South Carolina: median $37,170, $121,470 below the dentist median
- Orthodontist salary in South Carolina: median $311,450
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.