Orthodontists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$289,140
United States, 2025
Employment
6,210
United States, 2025
Typical education
Post-Doctoral Training
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 29-1023.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$99,850
25th percentile
$146,580
75th percentile
$342,300
90th percentile
$416,000
Most important skills
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Coordination3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Science3.4
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 21 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
21
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Science | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Instructing | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.4 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $265,930
Compare with OrthodontistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT | $478,680 | — | 2025 |
| CO | $416,000 | 160 | 2025 |
| Nashville, TN | $361,650 | — | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $361,040 | — | 2025 |
| MD | $361,030 | — | 2025 |
| MI | $357,090 | 140 | 2025 |
| IL | $343,100 | — | 2025 |
| TN | $339,610 | — | 2025 |
| MO | $332,630 | — | 2025 |
| Portland, ME | $323,460 | — | 2025 |
| Cleveland, OH | $318,070 | — | 2025 |
| MT | $312,840 | — | 2025 |
| SC | $311,450 | — | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $311,180 | — | 2025 |
| PA | $311,180 | — | 2025 |
| ME | $301,250 | 60 | 2025 |
| WA | $290,430 | 290 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $281,850 | — | 2025 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $272,330 | 100 | 2025 |
| AZ | $272,330 | 120 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Orthodontists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.