Dentist.
Kansas City.
$164,000
median salary, 5% below the national average
$120,000 to $209,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Dentist pay in Kansas City ranges from $120,000 to $209,000 in 2026. The median is $164,000, 5% below the national average. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Dentist in Kansas City, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $171,690 for Dentists, General (SOC 29-1021) in the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, based on 1,070 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$95,610
25th percentile
$124,470
Median
$171,690
75th percentile
$223,560
90th percentile
$340,330
Workers surveyed
1,070
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Dentists, General (SOC 29-1021) rather than Dentist specifically. The Kansas Cityrange at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1021Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $147,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$107,000
to $131,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$139,000
to $172,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$180,000
to $213,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$205,000
to $254,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $33,000 to the total package.
Base
$164,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $197,000
How Kansas City compares.
Kansas City, MO
$164,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$173,000
Kansas City is $9,000 below
Dentist salary by city.
Salary by role in Kansas City.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Dentist roles in Kansas City, here is what you are walking into. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. The metro's central location has made it a hub for distribution centers and supply chain companies. Cerner's healthcare IT presence and a growing startup scene have boosted demand for technology professionals. Specialization is the largest pay driver, with oral surgeons, orthodontists, and endodontists earning well above general dentists. Practice ownership versus associateship creates a wide income gap. Geographic location and local competition density affect patient volume and fee schedules, while cosmetic and implant services generate the highest per-procedure revenue.
New associate dentists earn $130,000 to $160,000 on a base plus production model. Experienced associates with five to seven years reach $175,000 to $220,000. Practice owners or partners in multi-location groups can earn $250,000 to $400,000 or more depending on practice profitability. In Kansas City, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Associate dentists often receive production-based bonuses of 25 to 35% of collections above a base guarantee. Practice owners retain higher gross income but carry overhead of 55 to 65%. Benefits for associates include malpractice coverage, CE stipends, and health insurance. And on the tax side: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and Kansas City adds a 1% earnings tax. Workers living in Kansas face that state's rates instead. Choose your side of the state line carefully. When someone quotes you $164,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate which side of the state line you will be based on. Your tax situation differs meaningfully between Missouri and Kansas, and some employers offer flexibility on office location. The range for Dentists in Kansas City runs from $120,000 to $209,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
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