Dental assistant earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level dental assistant earnings begin at:

$29.33 per hour

$61,000 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level dental assistant earnings begin at:

$28.89 per hour

$60,080 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level dental assistant earnings begin at:

$22.94 per hour

$47,720 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level dental assistant earnings begin at:

$22.59 per hour

$46,990 per year

10th percentile

Starting level dental assistant earnings begin at:

$18.08 per hour

$37,610 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Dental assistant salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Minnesota $49,790
Massachusetts $48,000
Oregon $47,850
Alaska $47,720
North Dakota $47,660
New Hampshire $47,600
District of Columbia $47,550
Rhode Island $47,400
New York $47,250
Connecticut $47,190
California $47,140
New Jersey $46,970
Vermont $46,910
Maryland $46,830
Washington $46,640
Maine $46,630
Iowa $46,230
Colorado $46,170
North Carolina $45,810
South Dakota $45,530
Delaware $45,110
Pennsylvania $44,780
Illinois $43,220
Arizona $39,480
Wisconsin $39,090
Ohio $39,040
Virginia $38,450
Wyoming $38,410
Indiana $38,280
Nebraska $38,100
South Carolina $38,040
Florida $37,790
Tennessee $37,760
Michigan $37,640
Oklahoma $37,520
Kansas $37,490
Missouri $37,470
Georgia $37,460
Hawaii $37,430
Texas $37,360
Guam $37,300
New Mexico $37,250
Montana $37,220
Nevada $37,140
Virgin Islands, U.S. $37,120
Idaho $37,100
Kentucky $37,080
Utah $36,810
Arkansas $36,450
Alabama $36,300
West Virginia $35,970
Mississippi $30,820
Louisiana $30,280
Puerto Rico $17,630

How do dental assistant salaries compare to similar careers?

Dental assistants earn about the same as related careers in Alaska. On average, they make less than community health workers but more than medical transcriptionists.

Career Median Salary
Community health worker salary $49K
Neurodiagnostic technologist salary $47K
Surgical assistant salary $47K
Ophthalmic medical technologist salary $47K
Substance abuse social worker salary $49K
Dental assistant salary $48K
Endoscopy technician salary $47K
Medical assistant salary $47K
Pharmacy technician salary $46K
Medical transcriptionist salary $38K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)