Dentist salary in Washington (2026)

The average dentist salary in Washington is $195,810 per year. A small pool of very high earners pulls that average upward, so the median of $169,730 gives employers a more reliable starting point for most hiring decisions. Washington employs 3,240 dentists, and the $26,080 gap between the mean and median reflects real variation in the candidate pool you will be evaluating. Junior dentists in Washington typically earn around $85,240, while senior specialists reach and exceed the $346,840 level at the 90th percentile. Plan for a range rather than a single number when budgeting for a dentist hire in Washington, and anchor that range to the seniority and specialization of the role you are filling.

Data comes from the BLS OEWS and covers 3,240 employed dentists across Washington.

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Employers setting an offer for a dentist in Washington should expect a wide range depending on experience level. Entry-level candidates typically fall near $85,240, while established practitioners with specialized skills reach $346,840 or beyond at the 90th percentile, so the seniority of the role you are filling will drive the offer more than any single benchmark figure.

Location alone can shift your compensation budget by nearly $40,000 per year, so employers should set offers based on the specific metro rather than the statewide average. Spokane leads at $216,190, while Bellingham sits at $177,520, meaning a dentist hired in eastern Washington will typically command a higher average salary than one hired near the coast. Seattle, despite its higher cost of living, posts a mean of $187,350, which falls below the statewide average of $195,810.

Washington sits in the middle of this peer group, making it a moderately priced market for dentist hiring compared to Oregon and New York but more expensive than Texas, California, and Colorado. Oregon's mean of $240,170 and median of $211,690 both run well above Washington's figures, so employers recruiting across the Pacific Northwest border should expect higher candidate salary expectations from Oregon-based practitioners. Texas and Colorado offer lower average compensation, which may be relevant context if you are benchmarking against national competitors.

Frequently asked questions about dentist salary in Washington

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Data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2025, SOC code 29-1021 (Dentists, General).