An analysis of anticipated future earnings across different employment sectors predicts dentists’ salaries will take a significant hit by 2033, with adjusted hourly rates projected to decrease by almost $14.
However, despite the anticipated decrease in hourly wages, dentists are projected to remain among the highest earners in 2033, at almost $94 per hour.
The predictions were part of a study on careers of the future by the California-based international telecommunications provider TollFreeForwarding.com, which culled information on the annual mean hourly earnings for 16 different jobs from 2013 to 2022 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, used an Excel program to forecast what each job would make every year from 2023 until 2033, and adjusted future earnings for projected inflation.
Dentists aren’t the only other high-earning professionals projected to earn less in 10 years. Also on that list are lawyers, predicted to make $5.00 less per hour (adjusted), and doctors, estimated to make almost $3.00 less. (See the graphic from ToolFreeForwarding.com)
According to a blog post on the findings, while there is no single factor to determine whether a salary will increase or decrease over the next decade, “the primary driver is the demand for the job and the number of qualified workers available to fill openings.” In dentistry’s case, there were nearly 7,000 dental school graduates in 2022, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects some 5,100 new dentists jobs each year for the next decade—a supply and demand discrepancy that contributes to future salaries’ stagnancy.
Other future salary predictions
- An expected sharp increase in salaries for artists, writers, and performers, with an adjusted $8 rise in 2033 from 2023. According to a press release on the results, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that a continued demand for live music and digital media opportunities will continue to drive growth in the arts.
- In the health-care sector, an expected need for an additional 193,100 nurses per year over the next 10 years accounts for a projected increase in hourly earnings of $12.82 in 2033 over today.
- Wage workers—including cashiers, janitors, and bartenders—are all expected to earn more in 2033 than today.
- Teacher salaries are predicted to continue a downward trend: when adjusted for inflation, they’re making $3.14 less per hour than in 2013 and are estimated to make $2.72 less per hour in 2033.
