Dental Assistants pay in the U.S.
$50,200avg. a year
$24.13 an hour · 387,790 employed
Dental Assistants in the U.S. earn an average of $50,200 a year and a median of $48,070. Pay is highest in Minnesota ($64,740) and lowest in Utah ($40,550).
$48,070Median pay
$24.13Average hourly
+19%Avg. pay since 2020
387,790Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for dental assistants
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
15,980 jobs
Minnesota
$64,740
$31.13 an hour
2630 jobs
District of Columbia
$63,360
$30.46 an hour
35,930 jobs
Oregon
$60,110
$28.90 an hour
41,600 jobs
New Hampshire
$57,200
$27.50 an hour
51,550 jobs
Maine
$57,140
$27.47 an hour
613,050 jobs
Washington
$56,680
$27.25 an hour
79,680 jobs
Massachusetts
$56,640
$27.23 an hour
8860 jobs
North Dakota
$56,450
$27.14 an hour
91,140 jobs
Alaska
$55,220
$26.55 an hour
1056,220 jobs
California
$54,710
$26.30 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Dental Assistants pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $46k$46k–$50k$50k–$53k$53k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $71,150 | $34.21 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $67,420 | $32.41 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $64,900 | $31.20 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $62,500 | $30.05 |
| Rochester, MN | $61,860 | $29.74 |
| Vallejo, CA | $61,120 | $29.39 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $60,700 | $29.18 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $60,540 | $29.10 |
Related jobs
- Medical Assistants$46,120
- Phlebotomists$45,520
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers$40,340
- Healthcare Support Workers, All Other$50,810
- Massage Therapists$63,830
- Medical Equipment Preparers$50,510
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Dental Assistants pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,710 | $39,080 | 3,740 |
| Alaska | $55,220 | $57,710 | 1,140 |
| Arizona | $50,280 | $49,000 | 8,680 |
| Arkansas | $42,130 | $42,830 | 2,950 |
| California | $54,710 | $50,110 | 56,220 |
| Colorado | $50,230 | $48,340 | 8,360 |
| Connecticut | $53,970 | $56,850 | 3,840 |
| Delaware | $47,520 | $47,600 | 990 |
| District of Columbia | $63,360 | $60,580 | 630 |
| Florida | $48,500 | $47,620 | 26,620 |
| Georgia | $46,870 | $46,840 | 10,540 |
| Hawaii | $43,180 | $44,720 | 1,960 |
| Idaho | $47,250 | $45,880 | 2,680 |
| Illinois | $48,990 | $48,610 | 13,740 |
| Indiana | $50,480 | $48,670 | 6,690 |
| Iowa | $50,450 | $48,430 | 3,210 |
| Kentucky | $48,440 | $47,730 | 4,530 |
| Louisiana | $42,540 | $44,090 | 4,540 |
| Maine | $57,140 | $60,070 | 1,550 |
| Maryland | $50,720 | $48,620 | 6,560 |
| Massachusetts | $56,640 | $57,980 | 9,680 |
| Michigan | $49,650 | $48,820 | 11,990 |
| Minnesota | $64,740 | $65,270 | 5,980 |
| Mississippi | $42,910 | $39,160 | 3,080 |
| Missouri | $46,790 | $45,970 | 6,760 |
| Montana | $47,180 | $46,680 | 1,450 |
| Nebraska | $46,430 | $46,660 | 2,520 |
| Nevada | $45,880 | $47,110 | 4,230 |
| New Hampshire | $57,200 | $59,530 | 1,600 |
| New Jersey | $52,940 | $49,390 | 9,990 |
| New Mexico | $45,130 | $44,400 | 2,150 |
| New York | $49,820 | $48,110 | 19,800 |
| North Carolina | $51,510 | $50,380 | 11,450 |
| North Dakota | $56,450 | $57,770 | 860 |
| Ohio | $52,370 | $47,970 | 12,150 |
| Oklahoma | $44,790 | $45,740 | 4,550 |
| Oregon | $60,110 | $59,490 | 5,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,130 | $47,930 | 12,080 |
| Rhode Island | $52,790 | $50,150 | 1,050 |
| South Carolina | $47,310 | $47,320 | 5,530 |
| South Dakota | $50,170 | $47,900 | 1,290 |
| Tennessee | $49,670 | $46,720 | 7,420 |
| Texas | $44,830 | $45,430 | 33,230 |
| Utah | $40,550 | $37,760 | 6,640 |
| Vermont | $54,550 | $52,760 | 580 |
| Virginia | $47,490 | $46,670 | 10,760 |
| Washington | $56,680 | $58,090 | 13,050 |
| West Virginia | $41,280 | $37,960 | 1,290 |
| Wisconsin | $49,150 | $47,520 | 7,760 |
| Wyoming | $44,100 | $44,990 | 630 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$49,040
21,090 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$51,560
20,870 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$50,370
10,490 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$48,630
9,180 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$47,770
9,010 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$50,450
8,440 jobs$43,010
8,150 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$64,900
7,530 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do dental assistants make?
The average is $50,200 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $48,070 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $24.13, and the median is $23.11 an hour.
Which state pays dental assistants the most?
Minnesota, with an average of $64,740 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $71,150.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,130 a year, and the top 10% earn over $62,250.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 31-9091. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.