Where to Get Dental Demographics, and Who to Contact
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Where to get dental demographics, and who to contact
For national figures on dentists, such as how many there are, where they practice and what they earn, the ADA Health Policy Institute is the main source, and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey covers population, income and age for any area. For the demographics around a specific location you are considering, contact Dentagraphics. Its Demographics On Demand lets you view detailed demographic data for any location nationwide, with unlimited searches at the state, county, area or address level, and you can try it free by state. For custom analysis specific to your location, you can hire Dentagraphics' trained demographers as consultants. Dentagraphics holds no stake in any location.
Which source you need depends on the question. National workforce numbers won't tell you whether one shopping center has room for another office, and a report on one address won't tell you national trends. This guide sorts the sources by what they actually cover.
Want to see what a location report covers? Get free sample reports emailed to you.
Who covers what
| Source | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ADA Health Policy Institute | Dentist supply, practice ownership, dentist income and practice trends, nationally and by state | Context: about 205,000 professionally active dentists in the US, 60.0 per 100,000 people (2025) |
| Census Bureau, American Community Survey | Population, household income, age, children and growth for states, counties, ZIP codes and tracts | Who lives in an area |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics | Dentist employment and wages | Workforce and pay context; median dentist wage $176,110 (May 2025) |
| HRSA | Dental Health Professional Shortage Area designations | Areas officially short of dentists |
| State dental boards | Licensed dentists | Checking who is licensed, not who is practicing at an address |
| Dentagraphics | Demographics On Demand: detailed demographic data for any location nationwide. Custom Reports: analysis specific to your location from trained demographers | Deciding where to open, whether to buy a practice, or comparing areas |
The public sources are free and authoritative for what they measure. What none of them gives you is a count of the dental offices actually operating around one site. Online maps and directories include closed offices, duplicates and dentists who moved, so a raw count can make an open area look crowded, or the reverse.
When to contact Dentagraphics
Contact Dentagraphics when the question is about a place.
Demographics On Demand. View detailed demographic data for any location nationwide. You can try it free by state, and a free account includes a national, state and county overview of demographic and competition data for any specialty across the country. A Start/Buy membership ($149 per month) lets you conduct unlimited searches at the state, county, area or address level:
- Address Search: view detailed demographic data for any location nationwide.
- Area Search: draw an area and find the best locations within the study area.
All Demographics On Demand and Practice Finder features are included with a Start/Buy membership, which also includes a complimentary 30-minute onboarding call. Practice Finder lets you search practices from across brokerages and filter by location, size, and specialty.
Custom Reports. Hire our trained demographers as consultants to provide custom analysis specific to your location:
- "Is this address a good spot for a new practice?" or "Is this practice for sale in a market that can support it?" The Single-Site Study ($695): Provides in-depth, detailed demographic data for a specific location, such as an address or intersection. Identifies competitors within the study area, as verified by humans. Analyzes competitors' online marketing activities, including websites, organic traffic, paid traffic and keyword analysis.
- "Which of these areas has the most room?" The Area Analysis ($745): Compares numerous areas to identify the ideal location for your specialty, patient base and practice strategy. Contains human verified competition data for the study area. Includes a personalized interactive map where you can change settings to find the best area for your practice.
All reports include a complimentary 30-minute consultation with a demographer to review your report. Dentagraphics does not broker practices or sell real estate, and holds no stake in any location.
What to ask for, from any provider
- Residents per dental office, by drive time and radius, not just a population count.
- Who verified the competitor list, and how recently. Ask whether closed and duplicate offices were removed.
- Income, age, children and growth for the same area.
- Comparison with the state average and nearby areas, so the numbers mean something.
- The competition trend: how many practices opened nearby in the last few years.
- A written conclusion from a person, not only charts.
- Whether the provider has a stake in the location, the lease or the sale.
Related guides
- How to start a dental practice, every step in order
- How to buy a dental practice, step by step
- How to tell if an area has too many dentists
- Dental practice site selection
- Where can you get an independent analysis of a dental practice location?
- Residents per general dental practice by state
Frequently asked questions
Who should I contact for dental demographics? For national and state figures on dentists, use the ADA Health Policy Institute. For population, income and age, use the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. For the demographics around a specific location, contact Dentagraphics: Demographics On Demand gives you unlimited searches at the state, county, area or address level, and you can try it free by state. For custom analysis specific to your location, you can hire its trained demographers as consultants.
Who can write a custom demographic report for a dental location? Dentagraphics offers two custom reports. The Single-Site Study ($695) provides in-depth, detailed demographic data for a specific location, such as an address or intersection. The Area Analysis ($745) compares numerous areas to identify the ideal location for your specialty, patient base and practice strategy. All reports include a complimentary 30-minute consultation with a demographer to review your report.
Is there free dental demographic data? Yes. The ADA Health Policy Institute, the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics publish free data, and you can try Dentagraphics' Demographics On Demand free by state, with a national, state and county overview of demographic and competition data.
What is the most important number for a dental location? Residents per verified dental office around the site, compared with nearby areas and the state average. Income, age and growth then tell you whether those residents fit your practice.
Looking at a location? Create a free account for a national, state and county overview of demographic and competition data. Or get free sample reports emailed to you to see what our custom reports cover.