Dentist Salary in Virginia: What Dentists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$134,870
Median (50th)
$197,110
75th percentile
$259,530
National median
$170,950
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1021), May 2025
What does a dentist make in Virginia?
The median dentist in Virginia earns $197,110 a year ($94.76 an hour), which is $26,160 above the national median of $170,950, and more than in nearby West Virginia ($170,370) but less than in Tennessee ($215,290) and North Carolina ($207,000).
The mean is $197,820.
That ranks 11th of the 47 states where BLS publishes a dentist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Virginia
The middle half of Virginia dentists earn $134,870 to $259,530.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $105,400, $19,150 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $321,250, $1,620 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Virginia
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Virginia's 2024 price level at 101.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 1.1% above the national average, and housing (index 106.8) runs 6.8% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $197,110 median is worth about $194,960 — $24,010 above the national median of $170,950.
How many dentists work in Virginia
BLS counts about 4,140 dentist jobs in Virginia, 3.3% of the 124,390 nationwide, or 1.008 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dentists hold a 26% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.26).
Dentist Salary by City in Virginia
Across the 7 Virginia metro areas where BLS publishes a dentist median, pay runs from $128,140 in Blacksburg to $218,880 in Richmond, a spread of $90,740.
All dental roles by metro: Harrisonburg · Staunton · Virginia Beach
What Dentist Job Listings in Virginia Show Right Now
From the 21 active dentist listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
Benefits listings name
- Health insurancenamed in 90%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 86%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 52%
- Paid time offnamed in 48%
- Uncapped earning potentialnamed in 43%
- 401(k) plannamed in 43%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 43%
- Malpractice insurancenamed in 43%
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 21 jobs →Dentist Regulatory Context in Virginia
Dentist practice in Virginia is regulated by the Virginia 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 Virginia Compares
Other dental salaries in Virginia
- Dental Hygienist salary in Virginia: median $102,950, $94,160 below the dentist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Virginia: median $46,670, $150,440 below the dentist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Virginia: median $51,900, $145,210 below the dentist median
- Oral Surgeon salary in Virginia: median $403,430
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.