Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 51-9081

Dental Laboratory Technicians

Median pay sits 33% below the mid peer in Production Occupations (neighbors include Power Distributors and Dispatchers, Tool and Die Makers, Chemical Plant and System Operators, Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Dental Laboratory Technicians: Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($107K) , Tool and Die Makers ($64K) , Chemical Plant and System Operators ($78K) , Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators ($79K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Dental Laboratory Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-9081 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed
  2. 2. Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers
  3. 3. Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth
  4. 4. Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools
  5. 5. Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures
  6. 6. Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model
  7. 7. Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas
  8. 8. Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines
  9. 9. Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications
  10. 10. Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework
  11. 11. Mold wax over denture setups to form the full contours of artificial gums
  12. 12. Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers

Dental Laboratory Technicians: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-9081 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Administration and Management. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.3
  3. 3. Time Management 3.3
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
  6. 6. Active Listening 3.0
  7. 7. Speaking 3.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Administration and Management 3.8
  2. 2. Design 3.8
  3. 3. English Language 3.6
  4. 4. Medicine and Dentistry 3.6
  5. 5. Production and Processing 3.5
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.5
Pay vs Production Occupations peers
-33%
vs mid peer median $74,450
This role $49,610/yr
$50K
National median
↓ -5%
Growth 2024-2034
3,900
Annual openings
34,410
Estimated US jobs
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Highest-pay peer · $107K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Dental Laboratory Technicians

1. Florida $59,790
2. Maine $64,020
3. Washington $56,400
4. Massachusetts $72,800
5. New Hampshire $60,610
6. Nebraska $58,590
7. North Dakota $67,580
8. Minnesota $56,090
9. Kansas $56,790
10. Colorado $61,220

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Chemical Plant and System Operators $78,120
  2. 2. Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $78,620
  3. 3. Power Plant Operators $102,040
  4. 4. Power Distributors and Dispatchers $106,730
  5. 5. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $96,710
  6. 6. Tool and Die Makers $64,050

Among Production Occupations peers on this card, Dental Laboratory Technicians sits 33% below the mid peer median ($74,450). Its own median is $49,610.

Employment Projections expect -5% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Florida at $59,790. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Power Distributors and Dispatchers at $106,730. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Dental Laboratory Technicians pay-rank #38 in Production Occupations

Dental Laboratory Technicians sits at pay-rank #38 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Dental Laboratory Technicians pays 33% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Dental Laboratory Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-9081

Florida · top state for Dental Laboratory Technicians

$60K published median

Maine · #2 state pay

$64K · behind Florida

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Highest-pay peer vs Dental Laboratory Technicians · $107K

Tool and Die Makers

Lower-pay peer beside Dental Laboratory Technicians · $64K

Compare Dental Laboratory Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Dental Laboratory Technicians with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Dental Laboratory Technicians

Against another occupation

Power Distributors and Dispatchers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dental Laboratory Technicians mid-table among Production Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #38 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Patternmakers, Wood ($50K), Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners ($50K), Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ($49K), Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ($49K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do dental laboratory technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Dental Laboratory Technicians. Leading ones include: Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed; Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers; Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth; Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for dental laboratory technicians? ▼
For SOC 51-9081, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.4), Critical Thinking (3.3), Time Management (3.3), Operations Monitoring (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Administration and Management, Design, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Dental Laboratory Technicians? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,610 as the national median for Dental Laboratory Technicians. The published 10th-90th range is $36,660 to $76,940. Beside Power Distributors and Dispatchers ($106,730), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Dental Laboratory Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Dental Laboratory Technicians is -5%. Projected annual openings: about 3,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Dental Laboratory Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Dental Laboratory Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Dental Laboratory Technicians? ▼
Florida ($59,790), Maine ($64,020), Washington ($56,400) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Dental Laboratory Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-9081. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Dental Laboratory Technicians. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics