Dental Assistants Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for dental assistantss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Minnesota$64,740
- District of Columbia$63,360
- Oregon$60,110
- New Hampshire$57,200
- Maine$57,140
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Utah$40,550
- West Virginia$41,280
- Alabama$41,710
- Arkansas$42,130
- Louisiana$42,540
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $64,740 | $65,270 | $31 | +29% | 5,980 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $63,360 | $60,580 | $30 | +26.2% | 630 |
| 3 | Oregon | $60,110 | $59,490 | $29 | +19.7% | 5,930 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $57,200 | $59,530 | $28 | +13.9% | 1,600 |
| 5 | Maine | $57,140 | $60,070 | $27 | +13.8% | 1,550 |
| 6 | Washington | $56,680 | $58,090 | $27 | +12.9% | 13,050 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $56,640 | $57,980 | $27 | +12.8% | 9,680 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $56,450 | $57,770 | $27 | +12.5% | 860 |
| 9 | Alaska | $55,220 | $57,710 | $27 | +10% | 1,140 |
| 10 | California | $54,710 | $50,110 | $26 | +9% | 56,220 |
| 11 | Vermont | $54,550 | $52,760 | $26 | +8.7% | 580 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $53,970 | $56,850 | $26 | +7.5% | 3,840 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $52,940 | $49,390 | $25 | +5.5% | 9,990 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $52,790 | $50,150 | $25 | +5.2% | 1,050 |
| 15 | Ohio | $52,370 | $47,970 | $25 | +4.3% | 12,150 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $51,510 | $50,380 | $25 | +2.6% | 11,450 |
| 17 | Maryland | $50,720 | $48,620 | $24 | +1% | 6,560 |
| 18 | Indiana | $50,480 | $48,670 | $24 | +0.6% | 6,690 |
| 19 | Iowa | $50,450 | $48,430 | $24 | +0.5% | 3,210 |
| 20 | Arizona | $50,280 | $49,000 | $24 | +0.2% | 8,680 |
| 21 | Colorado | $50,230 | $48,340 | $24 | +0.1% | 8,360 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $50,170 | $47,900 | $24 | -0.1% | 1,290 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $50,130 | $47,930 | $24 | -0.1% | 12,080 |
| 24 | New York | $49,820 | $48,110 | $24 | -0.8% | 19,800 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $49,670 | $46,720 | $24 | -1.1% | 7,420 |
| 26 | Michigan | $49,650 | $48,820 | $24 | -1.1% | 11,990 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $49,150 | $47,520 | $24 | -2.1% | 7,760 |
| 28 | Illinois | $48,990 | $48,610 | $24 | -2.4% | 13,740 |
| 29 | Florida | $48,500 | $47,620 | $23 | -3.4% | 26,620 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $48,440 | $47,730 | $23 | -3.5% | 4,530 |
| 31 | Delaware | $47,520 | $47,600 | $23 | -5.3% | 990 |
| 32 | Virginia | $47,490 | $46,670 | $23 | -5.4% | 10,760 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $47,310 | $47,320 | $23 | -5.8% | 5,530 |
| 34 | Idaho | $47,250 | $45,880 | $23 | -5.9% | 2,680 |
| 35 | Montana | $47,180 | $46,680 | $23 | -6% | 1,450 |
| 36 | Georgia | $46,870 | $46,840 | $23 | -6.6% | 10,540 |
| 37 | Missouri | $46,790 | $45,970 | $23 | -6.8% | 6,760 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $46,430 | $46,660 | $22 | -7.5% | 2,520 |
| 39 | Nevada | $45,880 | $47,110 | $22 | -8.6% | 4,230 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $45,130 | $44,400 | $22 | -10.1% | 2,150 |
| 41 | Texas | $44,830 | $45,430 | $22 | -10.7% | 33,230 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $44,790 | $45,740 | $22 | -10.8% | 4,550 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $44,100 | $44,990 | $21 | -12.2% | 630 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $43,180 | $44,720 | $21 | -14% | 1,960 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $42,910 | $39,160 | $21 | -14.5% | 3,080 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $42,540 | $44,090 | $20 | -15.3% | 4,540 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $42,130 | $42,830 | $20 | -16.1% | 2,950 |
| 48 | Alabama | $41,710 | $39,080 | $20 | -16.9% | 3,740 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $41,280 | $37,960 | $20 | -17.8% | 1,290 |
| 50 | Utah | $40,550 | $37,760 | $20 | -19.2% | 6,640 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 515 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $74,600 | $71,150 | 2,870 |
| 2 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $72,370 | $67,420 | 3,910 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $64,390 | $64,900 | 7,530 |
| 4 | Rochester, MN | $63,450 | $61,860 | 320 |
| 5 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $62,040 | $59,650 | 7,100 |
| 6 | Portland-South Portland, ME | $61,240 | $59,380 | 830 |
| 7 | Mankato, MN | $61,010 | $60,250 | 120 |
| 8 | St. Cloud, MN | $61,000 | $60,540 | 270 |
| 9 | Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $60,770 | $56,930 | 290 |
| 10 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $60,590 | $62,500 | 680 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing dental assistantss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance | $71,800 | $62,170 | 50 |
| 2 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, State Government Owned | $58,530 | $58,770 | 70 |
| 3 | Individual and Family Services | $57,940 | $52,460 | 370 |
| 4 | State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $57,430 | $60,750 | 1,090 |
| 5 | Nursing and Residential Care Facilities | $57,400 | $56,420 | 40 |
| 6 | Social Assistance | $56,800 | $52,330 | 440 |
| 7 | Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | $56,640 | $57,440 | 3,470 |
| 8 | Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $56,640 | $57,440 | 3,470 |
| 9 | Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $55,270 | $56,640 | 5,870 |
| 10 | Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS | $55,270 | $56,640 | 5,870 |
| 11 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Privately Owned | $55,160 | $54,350 | 1,200 |
| 12 | Hospitals, Privately Owned | $54,830 | $54,300 | 1,290 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do dental assistants make in the U.S.?
The median dental assistants salary in the United States is $48,070 per year (mean $50,200), and about 80% earn between $37,130 and $62,250.
How much do dental assistants make per hour?
Roughly $24 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $50,200 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays dental assistants the most?
Minnesota has the highest average pay for dental assistants at $64,740 per year (median $65,270).
What is the job outlook for dental assistants?
Employment is projected to change +6.4% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 52,900 openings per year.