MEDIUMBusinessTier 1
Median pay for orthodontists climbs to $289K
SourceBecker's Dental + DSO ReviewTier 1Hard News
By Cameron Cortigiano
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Orthodontists and practice owners now have fresh national and state-level benchmarks to evaluate compensation packages, recruitment offers, and practice valuations—directly influencing contract negotiations and staffing budgets.
Key points
- National median annual wage for orthodontists rose to $289,000 per the May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
- Connecticut posted the highest state median at >$350,000; three additional states also exceeded $350,000, giving owners multi-state comp data for location-based decisions.
- Specialists and DSO recruiters can use the 19-state dataset to calibrate salary bands when hiring or relocating associates.
- Associate orthodontists can leverage the figures in contract talks, while owners can adjust overhead models for high-cost states.
Who should care
OwnerAssociateDSOSpecialist
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
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