{
  "meta": {
    "api_version": "v1",
    "edition": "2026.1",
    "generated_at": "2026-09-14T16:02:08.283Z",
    "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
    "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "attribution_required": true,
    "attribution": "Real Dental Costs — https://realdentalcosts.com",
    "doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20531728",
    "methodology": "https://realdentalcosts.com/en/methodology/",
    "docs": "https://realdentalcosts.com/en/api/",
    "disclaimer": "Independent pricing and market research. NOT medical, dental or insurance advice."
  },
  "endpoint": "https://realdentalcosts.com/api/v1/meps/national.json",
  "title": "U.S. national dental spending, utilization and out-of-pocket burden (MEPS)",
  "description": "Nationally representative, survey-weighted estimates of U.S. dental care expenditures, charges, out-of-pocket payments and visits, computed by Real Dental Costs from the AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Full Year Consolidated public use files. Person-level survey estimates - complementary macro validation layer for our claims-based (T-MSIS) and market-survey price series; NOT a per-procedure price benchmark.",
  "provenance": {
    "source": "AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Household Component",
    "source_id": "ahrq_meps_hc256_2024",
    "files": [
      {
        "puf": "HC-256",
        "name": "2024 Full Year Consolidated Data File",
        "released": "2026-08-28",
        "url": "https://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-256"
      },
      {
        "puf": "HC-251",
        "name": "2023 Full Year Consolidated Data File",
        "url": "https://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/download_data_files_detail.jsp?cboPufNumber=HC-251"
      }
    ],
    "variables": [
      "DVTEXP24",
      "DVTSLF24",
      "DVTTCH24",
      "DVTOT24",
      "PERWT24F",
      "DVTEXP23",
      "DVTSLF23",
      "DVTTCH23",
      "DVTOT23",
      "PERWT23F"
    ],
    "weighting": "Final person weights (PERWT24F / PERWT23F). All estimates are weighted; persons with zero weight excluded.",
    "computed_by": "Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team",
    "computed_at": "2026-09-01",
    "generator": "scripts/gen_meps_national.py",
    "license_of_source": "Public domain (U.S. federal public use file)",
    "license_of_derived": "CC-BY-4.0"
  },
  "caveats": [
    "MEPS measures person-level spending and utilization, not per-procedure prices; do not compare these figures with CDT-code benchmarks.",
    "Year-over-year deltas are point-estimate differences without survey variance estimation (no VARSTR/VARPSU standard errors computed); treat small changes as indicative only.",
    "Expenditures = amounts actually paid (all payers); charges = billed amounts before adjustment."
  ],
  "data": {
    "y2024": {
      "n_sample": 18683,
      "weighted_population": 339797630,
      "pct_with_dental_visit": 46.62,
      "pct_with_dental_expenditure": 45.92,
      "total_dental_expenditure_usd_billion": 166.89,
      "total_out_of_pocket_usd_billion": 77.26,
      "total_charges_usd_billion": 194.64,
      "oop_share_of_expenditure_pct": 46.29,
      "per_capita_expenditure_usd": 491.16,
      "mean_expenditure_per_person_with_visit_usd": 1053.62,
      "median_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 371,
      "p25_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 198,
      "p75_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 901.93,
      "mean_oop_among_spenders_usd": 495.14,
      "median_oop_among_spenders_usd": 40,
      "mean_visits_among_users": 2.28
    },
    "y2023": {
      "n_sample": 18463,
      "weighted_population": 334530273,
      "pct_with_dental_visit": 45.76,
      "pct_with_dental_expenditure": 45.15,
      "total_dental_expenditure_usd_billion": 151.25,
      "total_out_of_pocket_usd_billion": 68.13,
      "total_charges_usd_billion": 178.68,
      "oop_share_of_expenditure_pct": 45.05,
      "per_capita_expenditure_usd": 452.13,
      "mean_expenditure_per_person_with_visit_usd": 988.13,
      "median_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 345,
      "p25_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 185,
      "p75_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 839,
      "mean_oop_among_spenders_usd": 451.1,
      "median_oop_among_spenders_usd": 40,
      "mean_visits_among_users": 2.23
    },
    "delta_2024_vs_2023": {
      "n_sample": 220,
      "weighted_population": 5267357,
      "pct_with_dental_visit": 0.86,
      "pct_with_dental_expenditure": 0.77,
      "total_dental_expenditure_usd_billion": 15.64,
      "total_out_of_pocket_usd_billion": 9.13,
      "total_charges_usd_billion": 15.96,
      "oop_share_of_expenditure_pct": 1.24,
      "per_capita_expenditure_usd": 39.03,
      "mean_expenditure_per_person_with_visit_usd": 65.49,
      "median_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 26,
      "p25_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 13,
      "p75_expenditure_among_spenders_usd": 62.93,
      "mean_oop_among_spenders_usd": 44.04,
      "median_oop_among_spenders_usd": 0,
      "mean_visits_among_users": 0.05
    }
  }
}