The States Where a Dental Implant Takes the Biggest Bite Out of Your Income
A 97 Smiles analysis comparing implant prices with median salary in every state. Louisiana has the highest burden at 6.78% of median annual salary, Utah the lowest at 4.50%.
On this page
- Key findings
- The states where dental implants take the biggest bite
- The states where dental implants take the smallest bite
- Expensive implants do not always mean the biggest burden
- The national picture
- How the calculation works
- Why this measure matters
- What the figures mean
- Methodology
- The bottom line
- Data source
- Frequently Asked Questions
A dental implant can cost more than $5,000 in some states, but new analysis shows the biggest financial burden is not necessarily in the states with the highest implant prices.
Looking only at the price of a dental implant does not tell the full story. A $4,000 implant represents a much larger share of income for someone earning $60,000 than the same treatment does for someone earning $100,000.
To examine that difference, 97 Smiles compared the average cost of a complete single dental implant in each state with the state’s median annual salary.
Louisiana has the highest dental implant income burden in the country: the average implant costs $4,137, equivalent to 6.78% of the state’s median annual salary of $60,986. Mississippi ranks second, where an implant costing $3,885 against a median salary of $59,127 represents 6.57%. At the other end, Utah has the lowest burden, its $4,347 implant representing 4.50% of a $96,658 median salary.
Key findings
- Louisiana has the highest dental implant income burden, at 6.78% of median annual salary.
- Mississippi ranks second, with an implant representing 6.57% of median salary.
- West Virginia ranks third, at 6.53%.
- New York ranks fourth, despite having the second highest implant price in the country.
- Utah has the lowest burden, at 4.50%.
- Across the 50 states analysed, an implant represents between 4.50% and 6.78% of median annual salary.
- The difference between the highest and lowest burden is 2.28 percentage points.
- The analysis uses median salary rather than average salary, to reduce the effect of unusually high earners.
- Washington, D.C. is excluded because the salary dataset did not contain a comparable figure for it.
The states where dental implants take the biggest bite
| Rank | State | Average implant cost | Median annual salary | Implant as % of median salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | $4,137 | $60,986 | 6.78% |
| 2 | Mississippi | $3,885 | $59,127 | 6.57% |
| 3 | West Virginia | $3,969 | $60,798 | 6.53% |
| 4 | New York | $5,565 | $85,820 | 6.48% |
| 5 | New Mexico | $4,305 | $67,816 | 6.35% |
| 6 | Arkansas | $3,833 | $62,106 | 6.17% |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $4,053 | $66,148 | 6.13% |
| 8 | Kentucky | $3,948 | $64,526 | 6.12% |
| 9 | Maine | $4,620 | $76,442 | 6.04% |
| 10 | Montana | $4,515 | $75,340 | 5.99% |
1. Louisiana tops the ranking
Louisiana does not have one of the country’s most expensive dental implants. Its average price of $4,137 is about 8.2% below the national average of $4,507. However, the state’s median annual salary is $60,986, so the implant represents 6.78% of median annual salary — the highest proportion among the 50 states analysed.
2. Mississippi ranks second
Mississippi has one of the lowest average implant prices in the country at $3,885, but its median annual salary is also relatively low at $59,127. The result is an implant cost equivalent to 6.57% of median annual salary, second highest despite the third lowest price in the underlying dataset.
3. West Virginia rounds out the top three
West Virginia has an average implant cost of $3,969 and a median annual salary of $60,798, putting one implant at 6.53% of median annual salary. Like Louisiana and Mississippi, it shows how a lower treatment price does not automatically mean a lower income burden.
4. New York is the outlier
New York has the second highest average implant cost in the country at $5,565, yet ranks fourth rather than first once salary is taken into account. Its median annual salary of $85,820 offsets some of the effect of the higher price, producing a burden of 6.48%. A state can have expensive dental treatment without having the highest treatment-to-income burden.
The states where dental implants take the smallest bite
At the other end of the ranking, higher median salaries relative to implant prices produce a lower implant-to-income percentage.
| Rank | State | Average implant cost | Median annual salary | Implant as % of median salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | $4,347 | $96,658 | 4.50% |
| 2 | Colorado | $4,538 | $97,113 | 4.67% |
| 3 | Maryland | $4,935 | $102,905 | 4.80% |
| 4 | New Jersey | $5,040 | $104,294 | 4.83% |
| 5 | Connecticut | $4,683 | $96,049 | 4.88% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $5,145 | $104,828 | 4.91% |
| 7 | Virginia | $4,578 | $92,090 | 4.97% |
| 8 | Washington | $4,935 | $99,389 | 4.97% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $4,998 | $99,782 | 5.01% |
| 10 | Minnesota | $4,410 | $87,117 | 5.06% |
Utah records an average complete single implant cost of $4,347, which is not among the cheapest prices in the country. However, its median salary is $96,658, so an implant represents just 4.50% of median annual salary. Colorado follows at 4.67% and Maryland at 4.80%.
Expensive implants do not always mean the biggest burden
California has the highest average implant price in the underlying dataset at $5,733. However, its median salary is $100,149, so the implant represents approximately 5.73% of median annual salary — outside the ten states with the highest burden.
By contrast, Louisiana’s implant costs $1,596 less than California’s, but represents a larger proportion of median annual salary. This is why measuring dental treatment solely by its sticker price gives an incomplete picture of affordability.
The national picture
Across the 50 states with salary data, the implant-to-median-salary percentage runs from 4.50% in Utah to 6.78% in Louisiana, a difference of 2.28 percentage points. The median state-level burden is approximately 5.67%, so in the typical state a complete dental implant costs around 5.7% of median annual salary.
How the calculation works
Dental implant income burden = average dental implant cost ÷ median annual salary × 100. For Louisiana: $4,137 ÷ $60,986 × 100 = 6.78%.
This allows states with very different salary levels to be compared using the same measure. Median salary is used rather than average salary because the median represents the middle of the distribution and is less affected by very high earners.
Why this measure matters
The price of a dental procedure is only one part of its financial impact. Two states can have very different treatment prices but a similar burden once local salaries are considered. A state with relatively inexpensive treatment can still carry a high burden if local salaries are lower.
The question this analysis asks is a simple one: how much of a typical annual salary does one complete dental implant represent?
What the figures mean
The implant figures are observed average cash prices for a complete single dental implant from the 2026 dental cost dataset. The salary figures are state-level salary data supplied for this analysis. The calculation is a state-level comparison, not a measure of what an individual patient can or cannot afford.
Actual implant costs vary with a patient’s treatment needs, provider, location, implant system, restoration, additional procedures, insurance coverage and financing. A state’s median salary does not represent the income of every resident. Anyone considering implants should obtain an individualised treatment plan and price from a licensed dental professional.
Methodology
The analysis combines two datasets: the average cash price of a complete single dental implant across the 50 US states and Washington, D.C., from the 2026 US Dental Restorative Cost Index by State; and state-level median salary figures supplied for this analysis.
The ranking uses average implant cost ÷ median salary × 100. Washington, D.C. is not included because the salary dataset does not provide a comparable figure for it. The underlying dental cost research reports a national average implant price of $4,507 and states that its state rankings were independently validated against the ASQ360°/CareCredit Average Procedural Cost Study.
The bottom line
The states with the most expensive dental implants are not necessarily the states where implants place the greatest burden on workers. Louisiana has the highest implant-to-median-salary ratio at 6.78%, followed by Mississippi at 6.57% and West Virginia at 6.53%. Utah has the lowest at 4.50%, followed by Colorado at 4.67% and Maryland at 4.80%.
Data source
Source: Real Dental Costs, US Dental Restorative Cost Index by State (2026), Version 2.0.0, published 13 July 2026. The dataset covers observed average cash prices for a complete single dental implant across the 50 US states and Washington, D.C., and is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Rankings and calculations in this article are based on that 2026 dataset. Percentage differences from the national average were calculated using $4,507 as the national average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the highest dental implant income burden?
Louisiana. An average implant of $4,137 represents 6.78% of the state median annual salary of $60,986, the highest proportion of the 50 states analysed.
Which state has the lowest?
Utah, where a $4,347 implant represents 4.50% of a median annual salary of $96,658. Colorado and Maryland follow at 4.67% and 4.80%.
Why does New York not rank first when its implants are the second most expensive?
Because the measure compares cost with earnings. New York’s median annual salary of $85,820 offsets some of its higher price, producing a burden of 6.48% and fourth place rather than first.
What does the typical state look like?
The median state-level burden is approximately 5.67%, so in a typical state one complete dental implant costs around 5.7% of median annual salary.
