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How many dentists are there in the US
275,976 people in the United States hold a dentist taxonomy on the September 2026 NPPES file.
274,620 of them give a practice address in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico. The rest give a territory, a foreign address, or no state.
The BLS counted 124,390 people employed as dentists, general (SOC 29-1021) in May 2025. NPPES is a register of identifiers and keeps a provider until the NPI is deactivated, so it runs above an employment count.
Source: ProfessionLens, September 2026. NPPES full replacement file, September 2026 (CMS). Population: US Census Bureau state population estimates, 1 July 2024. Employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Source: ProfessionLens, September 2026. NPPES full replacement file, September 2026 (CMS). Population: US Census Bureau state population estimates, 1 July 2024. Employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Dentists by state
| State | Dentists | Share of US | Per 100,000 residents | Population 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39,785 | 14.5% | 100.9 | 39,431,263 |
| Texas | 21,150 | 7.7% | 67.6 | 31,290,831 |
| New York | 18,117 | 6.6% | 91.2 | 19,867,248 |
| Florida | 16,836 | 6.1% | 72.0 | 23,372,215 |
| Illinois | 11,505 | 4.2% | 90.5 | 12,710,158 |
| Pennsylvania | 10,210 | 3.7% | 78.1 | 13,078,751 |
| Michigan | 8,838 | 3.2% | 87.2 | 10,140,459 |
| New Jersey | 8,817 | 3.2% | 92.8 | 9,500,851 |
| Massachusetts | 8,669 | 3.2% | 121.5 | 7,136,171 |
| Ohio | 8,391 | 3.1% | 70.6 | 11,883,304 |
| North Carolina | 7,784 | 2.8% | 70.5 | 11,046,024 |
| Washington | 7,466 | 2.7% | 93.8 | 7,958,180 |
| Virginia | 7,391 | 2.7% | 83.9 | 8,811,195 |
| Georgia | 6,667 | 2.4% | 59.6 | 11,180,878 |
| Colorado | 5,716 | 2.1% | 95.9 | 5,957,493 |
| Maryland | 5,563 | 2.0% | 88.8 | 6,263,220 |
| Arizona | 5,500 | 2.0% | 72.5 | 7,582,384 |
| Minnesota | 4,861 | 1.8% | 83.9 | 5,793,151 |
| Wisconsin | 4,831 | 1.8% | 81.0 | 5,960,975 |
| Tennessee | 4,526 | 1.6% | 62.6 | 7,227,750 |
| Indiana | 4,474 | 1.6% | 64.6 | 6,924,275 |
| Missouri | 4,349 | 1.6% | 69.6 | 6,245,466 |
| Oregon | 3,880 | 1.4% | 90.8 | 4,272,371 |
| South Carolina | 3,590 | 1.3% | 65.5 | 5,478,831 |
| Connecticut | 3,485 | 1.3% | 94.8 | 3,675,069 |
| Kentucky | 3,299 | 1.2% | 71.9 | 4,588,372 |
| Louisiana | 2,968 | 1.1% | 64.6 | 4,597,740 |
| Oklahoma | 2,885 | 1.1% | 70.4 | 4,095,393 |
| Alabama | 2,772 | 1.0% | 53.7 | 5,157,699 |
| Utah | 2,589 | 0.9% | 73.9 | 3,503,613 |
| Iowa | 2,485 | 0.9% | 76.7 | 3,241,488 |
| Nevada | 2,368 | 0.9% | 72.5 | 3,267,467 |
| Kansas | 1,994 | 0.7% | 67.1 | 2,970,606 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,776 | 0.6% | 55.4 | 3,203,295 |
| Nebraska | 1,751 | 0.6% | 87.3 | 2,005,465 |
| Mississippi | 1,671 | 0.6% | 56.8 | 2,943,045 |
| Arkansas | 1,616 | 0.6% | 52.3 | 3,088,354 |
| New Mexico | 1,546 | 0.6% | 72.6 | 2,130,256 |
| Idaho | 1,425 | 0.5% | 71.2 | 2,001,619 |
| Hawaii | 1,421 | 0.5% | 98.3 | 1,446,146 |
| New Hampshire | 1,212 | 0.4% | 86.0 | 1,409,032 |
| West Virginia | 1,140 | 0.4% | 64.4 | 1,769,979 |
| Maine | 1,092 | 0.4% | 77.7 | 1,405,012 |
| District of Columbia | 941 | 0.3% | 134.0 | 702,250 |
| Montana | 909 | 0.3% | 79.9 | 1,137,233 |
| Alaska | 817 | 0.3% | 110.4 | 740,133 |
| Rhode Island | 786 | 0.3% | 70.7 | 1,112,308 |
| South Dakota | 641 | 0.2% | 69.3 | 924,669 |
| North Dakota | 597 | 0.2% | 74.9 | 796,568 |
| Delaware | 566 | 0.2% | 53.8 | 1,051,917 |
| Vermont | 510 | 0.2% | 78.6 | 648,493 |
| Wyoming | 442 | 0.2% | 75.2 | 587,618 |
Share is of the 274,620 dentists with a practice address in these 52 areas.
Source: ProfessionLens, September 2026. NPPES full replacement file, September 2026 (CMS). Population: US Census Bureau state population estimates, 1 July 2024. Employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Cite this
ProfessionLens, How many dentists are there in the US, September 2026, https://professionlens.com/dentists.