SalaryExplorer

SOC 29-1021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Dentists, General — Grand Junction

Grand Junction, CO · 6 metro areas compared

$161,200 /year
$77.50per hour
60jobs in area
−5.7%vs US median

At $161,200, median pay for Dentists, General in Grand Junction, CO tracks the national median of $170,950 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $170,95010TH$98,28025TH$121,630MEDIAN$161,20075TH$198,50090TH$272,210

How pay has moved

$178,805$79,895201920202021202320242025$161,200
$96,380 in 2019 to $161,200 in 2025, +67.3% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.1%
Openings per year
3,900
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

11.8% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Grand Junction, CO.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $161,200, median pay for Dentists, General in Grand Junction, CO tracks the national median of $170,950 closely. Pay ranges from under $98,280 at the tenth percentile to more than $272,210 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $121,630 to $198,500.

Employment stands at 60, or 0.8 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Boulder records the highest median at $180,440. Of the 286 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 5th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Grand Junction, CO · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$98,280−42.5%
25th$121,630−28.9%
Median (50th)$161,200−5.7%
75th$198,500+16.1%
90th$272,210+59.2%
Mean$165,960−2.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Colorado

Median annual wage for Dentists, General, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Boulder$180,440140
2Fort Collins$180,210—
3Pueblo$172,68070
4Denver$168,6201,980
5Colorado Springs$158,830280
6Greeley$154,94090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Grand Junction run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $161,200 goes as far as $168,796 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 1.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$161,200as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$168,796US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $161,200 a year, 5.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $98,280 to $272,210 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 60 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Boulder, at $180,440.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Dentists, General in Grand Junction, CO?

The median annual wage is $161,200, or $77.50 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $170,950, so pay in Grand Junction, CO is 5.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Grand Junction, CO earns more than $272,210 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $98,280 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Boulder, at $180,440 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 60 jobs in this occupation in Grand Junction, CO. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.