Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary
The median pay for a dental laboratory technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $46,880/year ($22.54/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $72K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $47,531 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 46.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $47K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About dental laboratory technicians
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Dental laboratory technicians pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $47K locally vs. $50K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 47.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for dental laboratory technicians in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $48K | $47K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $46K | $48K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $41K | $42K |
| Tyler | $45K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level dental laboratory technicians (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $47K. Top earners bring in $72K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Dental Laboratory Technicians pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Dental Laboratory Technicians salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $73K | +47% | 440 |
| North Dakota | $68K | +36% | 60 |
| Maine | $64K | +29% | 120 |
| Colorado | $61K | +23% | 410 |
| New Hampshire | $61K | +22% | 120 |
| Florida | $60K | +21% | 2,330 |
| Nebraska | $59K | +18% | 190 |
| Kansas | $57K | +14% | 570 |
| Washington | $56K | +14% | 670 |
| Minnesota | $56K | +13% | 390 |
| New York | $52K | +6% | 1,890 |
| Virginia | $52K | +5% | 1,050 |
| Illinois | $51K | +4% | 2,030 |
| Arkansas | $50K | +1% | 840 |
| Indiana | $50K | +1% | 680 |
| North Carolina | $50K | +0% | 990 |
| Michigan | $50K | -0% | 1,180 |
| Georgia | $49K | -1% | 1,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $49K | -1% | 930 |
| Tennessee | $49K | -1% | 610 |
| Oregon | $49K | -2% | 570 |
| Oklahoma | $49K | -2% | 250 |
| Ohio | $48K | -2% | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -2% | 120 |
| Nevada | $48K | -3% | 200 |
| Arizona | $48K | -3% | 950 |
| Maryland | $48K | -4% | 590 |
| Mississippi | $48K | -4% | 140 |
| West Virginia | $48K | -4% | N/A |
| Montana | $48K | -4% | 110 |
| Iowa | $48K | -4% | 380 |
| California | $47K | -4% | 4,480 |
| Idaho | $47K | -4% | 370 |
| New Jersey | $47K | -5% | 780 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | -5% | 800 |
| Utah | $47K | -5% | 1,300 |
| Missouri | $47K | -6% | 740 |
| Kentucky | $47K | -6% | 420 |
| Texas | $46K | -7% | 1,770 |
| Alabama | $46K | -8% | 1,050 |
| Rhode Island | $45K | -9% | N/A |
| Hawaii | $45K | -9% | 120 |
| New Mexico | $45K | -9% | 130 |
| Delaware | $39K | -22% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $38K | -22% | 330 |
| South Carolina | $37K | -25% | 260 |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track dental laboratory technicians salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dental laboratory technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $47K, rent takes 47.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for dental laboratory technicians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dental laboratory technicians typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,880/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 84% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dental laboratory technician a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $47K locally vs. $50K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for dental laboratory technicians?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $47K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — below the national median.
How much do dental laboratory technicians make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $46,880 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,340, and experienced dental laboratory technicians can clear $72,430. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $47K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,309/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 47.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a dental laboratory technicians salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dental laboratory technicians salary is worth about $47,531 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dental laboratory technicians get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.