Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The published band from $86,250 to $622,640 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Cardiologists.
Same-major-group titles next to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: Cardiologists ($496K) , General Internal Medicine Physicians ($257K) , Physicians, Pathologists ($312K) , Radiologists ($421K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.
What Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons publish as work
O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.
- 1. Administer general and local anesthetics
- 2. Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment
- 3. Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future
- 4. Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues
- 5. Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth
- 6. Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck
- 7. Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments
- 8. Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones
- 9. Treat problems affecting the oral mucosa, such as mouth ulcers and infections
- 10. Restore form and function by moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face
- 11. Perform surgery on the mouth and jaws to treat conditions such as cleft lip, cleft palate, and jaw growth problems
- 12. Perform minor cosmetic procedures, such as chin and cheekbone enhancements
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: O*NET ranks Complex Problem Solving first
Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1022 - lead skill Complex Problem Solving at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.
Top skills
- 1. Complex Problem Solving 4.1
- 2. Judgment and Decision Making 4.1
- 3. Reading Comprehension 4.0
- 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
- 5. Active Listening 3.9
- 6. Speaking 3.9
- 7. Active Learning 3.9
- 8. Monitoring 3.9
Knowledge areas
- 1. Medicine and Dentistry 5.0
- 2. Biology 4.4
- 3. English Language 4.4
- 4. Customer and Personal Service 4.3
- 5. Psychology 3.8
- 6. Education and Training 3.5
Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments
Top Paying States for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles
- 1. Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
- 2. Radiologists $420,860
- 3. Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
- 4. Cardiologists $496,010
- 5. General Internal Medicine Physicians $256,560
- 6. Psychiatrists $281,870
The OEWS band for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons runs from $86,250 (10th) to $622,640 (90th), about 7.2× wide, with median $352,220. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.
Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree 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: Rhode Island at $414,060. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cardiologists at $496,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons pay-rank #7 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is pay-rank #7, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.
Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons next: salary map, states, and peers
SOC 29-1022 · national median $352,220 · upper third of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (#7/71). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons salary map
State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1022
Rhode Island · top state for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
$414K published median
Pennsylvania · #2 state pay
$554K · behind Rhode Island
Cardiologists
Highest-pay peer vs Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons · $496K
General Internal Medicine Physicians
Lower-pay peer beside Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons · $257K
Compare Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles sit near Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons at the top of the pay table? ▼
What do oral and maxillofacial surgeons do day to day? ▼
Which O*NET skills rank highest for oral and maxillofacial surgeons? ▼
How wide is the published pay band for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons? ▼
What employment change does BLS publish for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons? ▼
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons? ▼
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons? ▼
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.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025
Federal sources on this Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons card
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1022. bls.gov/oes
- O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. 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