# How many dental offices are in the U.S.? The U.S. Census Bureau counted 135,665 offices of dentists in 2023, employing 1,028,889 people, according to its County Business Patterns. That is slightly below the 136,140 offices counted in 2022; both appear in [dental market data](https://ddsintel.com/data). By DDSIntel Editorial Team. Source: DDSIntel, https://ddsintel.com/data/how-many-dental-offices-are-in-the-us. Published 2026-10-26; data as of 2026-10-25. ## Key numbers - **135,665** dental offices (establishments) in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 621210, Offices of dentists), 2023; https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) - **1,028,889** people employed by dental offices (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 621210, Offices of dentists), 2023; https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) - **51,142** dental offices had fewer than 5 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 621210, Offices of dentists), 2023; https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) - **48,076** dental offices had 5 to 9 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 621210, Offices of dentists), 2023; https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) - **29,790** dental offices had 10 to 19 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 621210, Offices of dentists), 2023; https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) ## How many dental offices are there in the U.S.? The Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns counted 135,665 establishments classified as offices of dentists (NAICS 621210) in 2023, down from 136,140 in 2022. The series counts physical offices with paid employees, not companies, so a group with several locations contributes several establishments. ## How large is a typical dental office? Most dental offices are small. Of the 135,665 counted in 2023, 51,142 had fewer than 5 employees, 48,076 had 5 to 9, 29,790 had 10 to 19 and 6,113 had 20 to 49, according to the Census Bureau. Larger offices are rare, which is why single-location ownership still dominates the count. Estimates of how much of dentistry sits inside groups are compared on [how consolidated dentistry is](https://ddsintel.com/dso). ## How does the office count compare with the number of dentists? The two counts measure different things and come from different years. The ADA Health Policy Institute counted 205,088 professionally active dentists in 2025, while the Census Bureau counted 135,665 dental offices in 2023. Dentists can work in more than one office, and some work outside private offices, so the figures should not be divided into each other. The workforce count is on [how many dentists are in the U.S.](https://ddsintel.com/data/how-many-dentists-are-in-the-us), and per-resident ratios are on [dentists per capita by state](https://ddsintel.com/data/dentist-density-by-state). ## What does an office count not show? A count of offices does not show who owns them, how many are for sale or which owners are planning an exit. Those questions are answered by public-record events at practices, which DDSIntel groups as [dental transition signals](https://ddsintel.com/signals) and publishes only in aggregate, by state and region. Prices paid are covered in [dental practice multiples](https://ddsintel.com/data/practice-valuation-multiples). ## Frequently asked questions ### What counts as a dental office in this series? An establishment classified under NAICS 621210, offices of dentists, in the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns. ### How many people work in dental offices? The Census Bureau reported 1,028,889 employees in 2023. ### Did the number of dental offices grow? Not between 2022 and 2023. The count was 136,140 in 2022 and 135,665 in 2023. ### Is a dental office the same as a dental practice? Not always. A practice can operate several offices, so the office count can exceed the number of owners. ## Sources 1. U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns: 2023, NAICS 621210 (Offices of dentists). https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/2023/econ/cbp/2023-cbp.html 2. ADA Health Policy Institute. The U.S. Dentist Workforce, 2025 update. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/US_dentist_workforce_2025.pdf --- DDSIntel is a dental transition intelligence platform that detects pre-market dental practice transition signals for brokers, DSOs, lenders and the firms that serve them.