Dentist Salary in Meridian, ID: Median $87,382 in 2026
Meridian (ID) · COL index 105 · Unemployment 3.0% · Metro pop 130,000 · Rank #106 of 283 for Dentist salary
A Dentist in Meridian earns an estimated median of $87,382 per year. That figure starts from the Idaho state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($76,760) and scales it by Meridian's composite cost-of-living index of 105 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $42,632; the 90th percentile reaches $156,767. After federal, Idaho state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Dentist takes home approximately $66,168/year — about $5,514/month or $2,545 every other week.
Compared to the national Dentist median of $175,510, Meridian pays -50.2%. Relative to the Meridian median household income of $82,500, a Dentistsalary runs +5.9%. Local unemployment is 3.0%[3], with an estimated 6 annual Dentist openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (107,000).
Dentist Snapshot — Meridian (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Meridian | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dentist median salary | $87,382 | $175,510 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $42,632 | $115,470 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $156,767 | $300,000 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $66,168 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $465,000 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,550/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,425/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $82,500 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 105.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% | — | [3] |
How Dentist Salaries Work in Meridian
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Idaho state-level OEWS median ($76,760) and scaling by Meridian's composite cost-of-living index (105)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Idaho state income tax at a 4.4% effective rate ($3,856/yr on the $87,382 median)[10].
Meridian also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. A tight labor market (unemployment below 4%) gives candidates pricing power in negotiations. Median household income in the metro is $82,500, which frames what "a good Dentist salary" means locally: a $$87,382 wage pays about 106% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Meridian
Estimated annual expense shares on a $66,168 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Meridian's COL index of 105. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Meridian's COL index of 105[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $1,550/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Meridian
Renting
Buying
At $5,514/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,654/mo. Meridian's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,550/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,425/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Dentist salary. For homebuyers, the 5.3× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Meridian Stacks Up for Dentists
Against 283 major US cities: Meridian ranks #106 for nominal Dentist salary, #218 for rent affordability, and #182 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Meridian's nominal wage premium. Dentists here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Dentist Salary Comparison
Meridian's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian, ID ★ | $87,382 | 105 | $1,550 | — |
| Boise, ID | $187,796 | 107 | $1,298 | +114.9% |
| Nampa, ID | $170,245 | 97 | $1,300 | +94.8% |
| Dallas, TX | $184,286 | 105 | $1,275 | +110.9% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $184,286 | 105 | $1,114 | +110.9% |
| Raleigh, NC | $184,286 | 105 | $1,131 | +110.9% |
Dentist Job Market in Meridian
Meridian has an estimated 6 annual Dentistopenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 107,000 national Dentists[1]. The 3.0% unemployment rate[3] signals a competitive labor market where skilled professionals can push for top-of-band offers.
About the profession: Dentists diagnose and treat teeth, gums, and related oral health conditions. Many dentists own private practices, making business deductions especially relevant. Typical entry requirement: doctoral or professional degree (dds/dmd). Projected growth through 2034: 4%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Meridian
Early-career Dentists in Meridian start around $42,632, reach the city median ($87,382) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($156,767) at senior / specialized levels.
Related healthcare professions in Meridian
Calculators for Dentists in Meridian
Other professions in Meridian
Frequently Asked Questions — Dentist in Meridian
How much does a Dentist make in Meridian, ID?
The estimated median salary for a Dentist in Meridian is $87,382/year, scaled from the BLS OEWS Idaho state median ($76,760) by Meridian's composite cost-of-living index of 105 (US = 100). After federal, Idaho state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $66,168/year or $5,514/month.
Can a Dentist afford to live in Meridian?
On $5,514/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,654/month. Meridian's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,550/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,425/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 21.3%, making housing very affordable for a Dentist at the local median. Home-buyers face 5.3× price-to-income, needing roughly 5.3 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Dentist pay in Meridian?
On $87,382 gross, a Dentist in Meridian pays approximately $10,673 in federal income tax (12.2% effective), $3,856 in Idaho state income tax (4.4% effective), and $6,685 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 24.3%. Some Idaho cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Meridian rank for Dentist salaries vs other cities?
Meridian ranks #106 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Dentist salary, #218 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #182 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Dentist in Meridian?
On $66,168 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Meridian looks like: housing $18,600/yr (28.1%); food $8,178/yr; transportation $6,749/yr; healthcare $4,701/yr; utilities $3,391/yr; savings + discretionary $24,549/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Meridian's COL index of 105 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Dentist job market like in Meridian?
Meridian's unemployment rate is 3.0% across the metro of 130,000. Estimated annual Dentist openings: ~6 (extrapolated from 107,000 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The tight labor market favors candidates in salary negotiations.
Do Meridian employers pay above or below the Idaho median for Dentists?
Not consistently — Meridian's estimated Dentist median of $87,382 is 50.2% below the national median. The trade-off is usually lower rents and (in some cases) lower state taxes, which can leave real purchasing power competitive.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Meridian median is derived from the Idaho state-level BLS OEWS median ($76,760), scaled by Meridian's composite cost-of-living index of 105. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Dentistmedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Idaho's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 105index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 92.2(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
- Idaho Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
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