Occupation salary profile

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

SOC 29-1022 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects. May diagnose problems of the oral and maxillofacial regions. May perform surgery to improve function or appearance.

National median · BLS
$352,220
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$98,668
▼ -75.33% YoY · 18 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$346,490
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
4,910
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 18 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$86,250$62,074
25th$204,610$67,098
Median (50th)$352,220$98,668
75th$428,710$295,000
90th — top pay$622,640$354,500
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $98,668 for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons — 72% below the BLS national median of $352,220.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

BLS projects employment of oral and maxillofacial surgeons to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
5,600 → 5,900
+300 jobs
Projected change
+5.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Self-employed
12.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a doctoral or professional degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $98,668
Change vs prior year -75.33%
After inflation (CPI-U) -76.08%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Complex Problem Solving4.1
  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Monitoring3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Social Perceptiveness3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry5.0
  • Biology4.5
  • Education and Training4.3
  • English Language4.2
  • Customer and Personal Service4.2
  • Administration and Management3.9
  • Psychology3.7
  • Personnel and Human Resources3.7
Software and technology used
AdaApteryx Imaging SuiteDecisionBase TiME for OMSDentalEyeDolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin ManagementDSN Software Oral Surgery-ExecGendex Dental Systems VixWin PROKodak Dental Systems Kodak Cosmetic Imaging ModulePlanmeca Oy DimaxisSirona SIDEXIS XG

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What oral and maxillofacial surgeons do

  • Administer general and local anesthetics.
  • Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
  • Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
  • Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
  • Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
  • Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues.
  • Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments.
  • Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
Also called
DDS (Dental Surgery Doctor)Maxillofacial SurgeonOral SurgeonSurgeonOral and Maxillofacial Surgery Resident
More job titles for this occupation (2)
Dental SurgeonDoctor

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.