America's Hottest Dental Markets

It's July and the country is baking. 95 in Phoenix, 92 in Atlanta, even Cleveland is pushing 90. So in the spirit of the season, we looked at a different kind of heat: which dental markets are getting the most attention from dentists right now.

Dentists use Dentagraphics to figure out where a first or next practice might make sense. That gives us an early read on where practice-owner interest is building, before leases get signed or practices get listed.

How we measured it

We looked at all research run through Dentagraphics over the twelve months ending June 30, 2026, then grouped that activity by metro area.

For each metro, we measured research activity relative to population and scaled the results so a typical metro scores 100. That score is the Activity Index.

We’ll show the rankings two ways: first for major metros with at least two million residents, then for the markets with the highest interest per resident overall, most of which are smaller.

America's hottest major metros

Metropolitan areas with at least two million residents, ranked by Activity Index. A score of 100 represents a typical metro.

The top of this list is pure Sunbelt. Florida takes three of the top four spots, with Texas close behind, led by Austin and San Antonio. That fits what we've seen for years: population growth and practice-owner interest keep pushing south and west.

One of the more interesting observations is who’s missing. New York draws more raw research than anywhere in the country, but spread across nearly 21 million people, its index is just 43. Chicago is 49. Los Angeles is 52. The biggest markets and the hottest markets for their size are not the same thing.

Where interest outruns population

Activity Index, twelve months ending June 2026.

Sarasota is the standout. An Activity Index of 387 means it is being researched nearly four times as heavily as a typical metro its size, which is a lot of attention even by Florida standards.

And Florida is most of this list. Sarasota, Palm Bay, Port St. Lucie, Cape Coral, Gainesville, Lakeland: the state's mid-sized metros are running hot. Some of that is population growth, some is retiree demand. Older populations need more restorative, implant, and prosthetic work, which makes these markets especially interesting for dentists thinking about ownership.

The Carolina entries are different situations. Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh are not retiree markets. They are Research Triangle markets: family-centric, new-build, migration-driven, and helped by a mild climate. The appeal is less about aging-patient demand and more about getting into a growing market with room to build. Jacksonville is the only metro on both lists. It tops the majors and still outruns its population, which is unusual for a metro its size.

The takeaway

Dentists are looking hardest at high-growth, warm-weather markets, especially in Texas and Florida. But the better story is below the surface: Florida’s mid-sized markets are getting outsized attention, while the biggest metros look more ordinary once you adjust for population.

The temperature will (hopefully) cool off this fall. Dental market research in the Dentagraphics app probably won’t.

Which market do you think is next?