Occupation salary profile

Orthodontists

SOC 29-1023 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.

National median · BLS
$289,140
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$194,694
▼ -19.88% YoY · 12 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$259,400
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
6,210
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 Orthodontists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 12 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$99,850$89,985
25th$146,580$135,075
Median (50th)$289,140$194,694
75th$342,300$312,500
90th — top pay$416,000$362,600
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $194,694 for Orthodontists — 32.7% below the BLS national median of $289,140.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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

Job outlook for Orthodontists

BLS projects employment of orthodontists to grow 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
7,100 → 7,500
+400 jobs
Projected change
+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
12.6% 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 $194,694
Change vs prior year -19.88%
After inflation (CPI-U) -22.31%
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Orthodontists

The 1 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1023, from 12 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Orthodontist 10 83.33% $120,204 $239,200 $337,500 +10.74%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Orthodontists

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
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Coordination3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry5.0
  • Customer and Personal Service4.3
  • English Language3.7
  • Biology3.7
  • Computers and Electronics3.3
  • Mathematics3.2
  • Administration and Management3.2
  • Education and Training3.1
Software and technology used
FacebookMicrosoft Office softwareAdaAdstra Systems ADSTRA ManagementAdvance Ortho Systems Program DirectorAlgorithm Compu-CephAmerican Orthodontics Compu-CephAmerican Orthodontics Photo-EzeDolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin ManagementEZapptFYI Technologies Dr. CephFYI Technologies Dr. ViewGAC International OrthoPlexICE Dental SystemsIMS Specialty Services IMS Digital OfficeInnovative Software Inn-Soft Office ManagerKatchitek Corporation OrthoManagerKodak Dental Systems Kodak ORTHOWARE

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 orthodontists do

  • Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
  • Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.
  • Study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans.
  • Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
  • Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
  • Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates.
  • Advise patients to comply with treatment plans.
  • Prepare diagnostic and treatment records.
Also called
Orthodontic DentistOrthodontic SpecialistOrthodontics DoctorOrthodontistBoard Certified OrthodontistOrthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Specialist
More job titles for this occupation (6)
Dental Treatment CoordinatorDentofacial Orthopedics DentistDoctorInvisible Braces OrthodontistOrthodontic Treatment CoordinatorPediatric Orthodontist

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.