The median Dental Assistant salary is $22.50 per hour, or $46,800 per year, based on 22,538 job postings across 103 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$22.50
Median hourly
$46,800
Annual salary
$19-$29
Pay range
103
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Dental Assistant earns $22.50/hr, with most posted roles landing between $20.50 and $25.50/hr.
Recent posted pay is steady, with the last 30 days showing 0% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: Hadley, MASSACHUSETTS is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Tomball, TEXAS sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
0%
Current median: $22.50/hr
Prior period: $22.50/hr
Job openings
+3.7%
7,103 recent postings
Previous period: 6,849 postings
Daily pay signal
$23.00/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Dental Assistant postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is holding steady across recent listings at about $22.50/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$18.50
$38,480/yr
Median
$22.50
$46,800/yr
Top earners
$28.50
$59,280/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $22.50/hr | 6,773 |
Mar 2026 | $22.50/hr | 7,179 |
Feb 2026 | $22.50/hr | 1,877 |
Jan 2026 | $22.50/hr | 1,850 |
Dec 2025 | $23.00/hr | 3,585 |
Nov 2025 | $23.00/hr | 1,274 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
102 postings · 34 companies
$18.00
$17-$20
29 postings · 16 companies
$26.00
$24-$29
425 postings · 178 companies
$21.50
$21-$24
58 postings · 30 companies
$18.50
$18-$20
2,630 postings · 1201 companies
$25.00
$23-$28
588 postings · 206 companies
$24.50
$23-$27
273 postings · 105 companies
$24.50
$23-$27
20 postings · 18 companies
$23.00
$21-$26
32 postings · 21 companies
$25.50
$24-$29
1,454 postings · 589 companies
$21.50
$20-$24
382 postings · 133 companies
$21.00
$19-$23
46 postings · 35 companies
$20.50
$19-$23
85 postings · 43 companies
$21.00
$20-$25
696 postings · 299 companies
$21.00
$20-$23
349 postings · 121 companies
$23.50
$21-$27
93 postings · 48 companies
$22.00
$20-$24
137 postings · 55 companies
$20.50
$19-$23
226 postings · 69 companies
$21.50
$19-$25
164 postings · 60 companies
$19.00
$18-$21
25 postings · 10 companies
$25.00
$22-$28
416 postings · 195 companies
$23.00
$22-$26
559 postings · 254 companies
$26.50
$24-$29
424 postings · 204 companies
$21.50
$20-$23
247 postings · 94 companies
$31.00
$27-$33
53 postings · 13 companies
$21.50
$17-$24
261 postings · 88 companies
$20.50
$19-$24
23 postings · 20 companies
$21.50
$21-$23
69 postings · 44 companies
$21.50
$20-$23
190 postings · 94 companies
$22.00
$20-$23
98 postings · 31 companies
$25.00
$23-$28
693 postings · 307 companies
$25.00
$23-$28
118 postings · 40 companies
$20.75
$20-$23
1,138 postings · 486 companies
$23.50
$21-$26
486 postings · 197 companies
$21.50
$20-$24
16 postings · 8 companies
$27.00
$25-$32
744 postings · 210 companies
$20.50
$18-$23
110 postings · 55 companies
$21.00
$20-$22
241 postings · 93 companies
$27.50
$26-$30
860 postings · 280 companies
$22.50
$21-$25
36 postings · 18 companies
$23.50
$23-$27
182 postings · 75 companies
$20.50
$20-$23
24 postings · 11 companies
$22.50
$21-$25
345 postings · 127 companies
$22.00
$20-$24
1,723 postings · 725 companies
$20.50
$18-$22
170 postings · 88 companies
$19.50
$18-$21
11 postings · 5 companies
$20.00
$19-$27
544 postings · 262 companies
$22.00
$21-$24
648 postings · 288 companies
$27.00
$24-$30
27 postings · 12 companies
$18.00
$17-$19
250 postings · 105 companies
$22.00
$21-$23
6 postings · 6 companies
$19.75
$17-$21
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Dental Assistant salaries.
Hadley
Massachusetts · 13 postings
$34.00/hr
San Mateo
California · 21 postings
$34.00/hr
Bristol
Connecticut · 11 postings
$32.50/hr
Saint Paul
Minnesota · 21 postings
$32.50/hr
Fargo
North Dakota · 10 postings
$32.00/hr
Tomball
Texas · 11 postings
$16.00/hr
Brooklyn
Ohio · 10 postings
$16.00/hr
Macedonia
Ohio · 12 postings
$16.00/hr
Delaware
Ohio · 14 postings
$16.00/hr
Seguin
Texas · 11 postings
$16.50/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Dental Assistant positions.
Nuvia Dental Implant Center
67 postings
$34.50/hr
La Clínica
17 postings
$34.50/hr
Captain Dental
6 postings
$33.75/hr
Sfdental
6 postings
$33.75/hr
Braces Bar
6 postings
$33.25/hr
Family Care Dental
5 postings
$16.00/hr
Sa Family Dentist
6 postings
$17.00/hr
Affordable Dentist Near Me
12 postings
$17.00/hr
Augusta University
5 postings
$17.00/hr
Charm Dental
5 postings
$17.50/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistant | 10,388 | $22.00/hr |
| Dental Assistant - Entry Level | 1,091 | $19.00/hr |
| Dental Assistant - Oral Surgery | 555 | $24.00/hr |
| Dental Assistant - Expanded Functions | 419 | $21.50/hr |
| Dental Assistant - Endodontist | 376 | $25.00/hr |
| Certified Dental Assistant | 123 | $24.00/hr |
| Dental Assistant Ii | 95 | $23.50/hr |
| Dental Assistant Instructor | 44 | $26.75/hr |
| Dental Assistant In Training | 44 | $20.50/hr |
| Dental Assistant I | 32 | $21.75/hr |
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Dental Assistant salaries.
FAQ
The median Dental Assistant salary is $22.50 per hour, or $46,800 annually. Pay ranges from $18.50/hr (10th percentile) to $28.50/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 22,538 job postings, the highest paying states for Dental Assistants include Minnesota, Oregon, North Dakota. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 22,538 Dental Assistant job postings across 103 states, from 8162 different healthcare employers.
Dental Assistant pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Dental Assistant pay is currently stable. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates remained stable.
Dental Assistant pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $3.00 to $6.00 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like Hadley offer $34.00/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $16.00/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Dental Assistants typically earn around $18.50 to $20.50 per hour ($38,480 to $42,640 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $22.50/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 22,538 active postings with listed compensation for Dental Assistant. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
EXPLORE MORE
See how your salary compares to 22,538 similar positions. It's free, anonymous, and takes about 2 minutes.