Dentists salary in Seattle, WA

Median pay for dentists in Seattle, WA: $172,220/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $124,190 – $239,200 · about 1,340 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($165,500) by +$6,720 (+4%).

What it's really worth in Seattle

With Seattle's cost of living at 113 (US=100), that $172,220 has the buying power of about $152,771 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $107,206 · median home $750,279 · median rent $2,232/mo.

Full Seattle cost of living & taxes →

How Seattle ranks for this job

On raw pay, Seattle, WA is 53rd of the 171 metros we hold dentists wages for. Once Seattle's cost of living is applied, it ranks 133rd.

The headline number flatters Seattle. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, dentists here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Seattle

A median home in Seattle, WA costs $750,279 — about 4.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,232/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where dentists earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Seattle.

Metro	Median pay	vs Seattle	Rent vs Seattle
Charlotte, NC	$239,200	+39%	0.8×
Salem, OR	$226,010	+31%	0.7×
Anchorage, AK	$225,170	+31%	0.8×
Phoenix, AZ	$219,600	+28%	0.8×

Same job elsewhere in WA

Metro	Median pay	vs Seattle	Rent vs Seattle
Olympia, WA	$203,530	+18%	0.9×
Spokane, WA	$177,070	+3%	0.7×
Yakima, WA	$168,110	−2%	0.6×
Kennewick, WA	$164,250	−5%	0.8×

Staying in WA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Seattle