Dentists, General Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $161K, rent takes 33.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,105/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new dentists, generals typically earn — is $108K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $6,536/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $161K locally vs. $171K nationally, a 6% difference.

Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area pays $161K median vs. the U.S. average of $171K — that’s -6%.

The median is $160,710 a year, that works out to about $77 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $107,640, and experienced dentists, generals can clear $338,850. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $9,323/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,105/month, which eats 33.3% 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.

Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dentists, general salary is worth about $160,710 in national-average purchasing power.

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.