Dental Assistant Salary

Dental Assistants earn a median $48,070 a year nationally. Healthcare Support Occupations

U.S. median

$48,070

$23.11 per hour

Range

$37,130 – $62,250

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

387,790

across the U.S.

Dental Assistant take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$40,804

per year · effective tax rate 15.1%

$3,400Monthly

$1,700Twice a month

$1,569Every 2 weeks

$19.62Hourly

Federal income tax$3,588
Social Security (6.2%)$2,980
Medicare (1.45%)$697
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$40,804

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$37,130	$17.85	$32,014
25th percentile	$44,340	$21.32	$37,807
Median (50th)	$48,070	$23.11	$40,804
75th percentile	$58,090	$27.93	$48,855
90th percentile (top earners)	$62,250	$29.93	$52,198

Best cities for dental assistants (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	Minneapolis, MN	$72,370	$56,345	$53,753	3,910
2	San Jose, CA	$74,600	$57,585	$52,150	2,870
3	Raleigh, NC	$58,750	$47,550	$48,443	1,850
4	Asheville, NC	$56,680	$45,970	$47,634	560
5	Portland, ME	$61,240	$48,434	$47,551	830
6	Lansing, MI	$56,150	$45,161	$47,542	550
7	Manchester, NH	$59,700	$50,149	$47,464	600
8	Seattle, WA	$62,040	$52,029	$46,817	7,100
9	Naples, FL	$57,260	$48,188	$46,694	550
10	Anchorage, AK	$57,710	$48,550	$46,054	640
11	Sioux Falls, SD	$48,890	$41,463	$45,749	450
12	Trenton, NJ	$57,400	$46,677	$45,239	470
13	Boulder, CO	$58,760	$47,517	$45,167	520
14	Santa Rosa, CA	$60,590	$48,392	$44,897	680
15	Des Moines, IA	$50,020	$41,122	$44,844	660
16	Hartford, CT	$56,160	$45,702	$44,481	1,590
17	Winston, NC	$50,060	$40,915	$44,452	480
18	Memphis, TN	$48,200	$40,909	$44,380	1,200
19	San Francisco, CA	$64,390	$51,141	$44,235	7,530
20	Eugene, OR	$58,500	$44,896	$44,203	470
21	New Haven, CT	$56,650	$46,074	$44,065	530
22	Fayetteville, NC	$49,520	$40,502	$44,035	460
23	Sacramento, CA	$58,580	$46,923	$43,989	3,100
24	Dayton, OH	$48,710	$40,761	$43,974	840
25	Bridgeport, CT	$57,770	$46,924	$43,910	970

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $74,600
Minneapolis, MN — $72,370
San Francisco, CA — $64,390
Seattle, WA — $62,040
Portland, ME — $61,240
Santa Rosa, CA — $60,590
Portland, OR — $59,890
Manchester, NH — $59,700
Salem, OR — $59,210
Vallejo, CA — $59,000
Oxnard, CA — $58,930
Boulder, CO — $58,760
Raleigh, NC — $58,750
Sacramento, CA — $58,580
Eugene, OR — $58,500

Dental Assistant salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
Minnesota	$65,270	$51,709	$46,960 – $76,110	5,980
District of Columbia	$60,580	$48,365	$47,530 – $74,960	630
Maine	$60,070	$47,573	$47,290 – $62,660	1,550
New Hampshire	$59,530	$50,012	$47,820 – $64,360	1,600
Oregon	$59,490	$45,604	$49,010 – $75,570	5,930
Washington	$58,090	$48,855	$46,280 – $68,230	13,050
Massachusetts	$57,980	$46,088	$47,270 – $72,790	9,680
North Dakota	$57,770	$48,598	$43,680 – $72,710	860
Alaska	$57,710	$48,550	$40,300 – $62,780	1,140
Connecticut	$56,850	$46,226	$38,630 – $60,900	3,840
Vermont	$52,760	$43,239	$45,260 – $66,410	580
North Carolina	$50,380	$41,159	$38,240 – $60,200	11,450
Rhode Island	$50,150	$41,212	$45,640 – $60,900	1,050
California	$50,110	$40,736	$38,790 – $73,700	56,220
New Jersey	$49,390	$40,684	$38,660 – $64,200	9,990
Arizona	$49,000	$40,535	$38,500 – $59,380	8,680
Michigan	$48,820	$39,583	$37,110 – $58,900	11,990
Indiana	$48,670	$39,880	$36,880 – $60,590	6,690
Maryland	$48,620	$39,300	$35,560 – $61,710	6,560
Illinois	$48,610	$38,977	$37,360 – $59,910	13,740
Iowa	$48,430	$39,905	$39,360 – $59,580	3,210
Colorado	$48,340	$39,603	$38,500 – $60,540	8,360
New York	$48,110	$38,835	$36,410 – $60,490	19,800
Ohio	$47,970	$40,187	$36,870 – $78,000	12,150
Pennsylvania	$47,930	$39,220	$38,040 – $61,430	12,080
South Dakota	$47,900	$40,668	$38,190 – $60,310	1,290
Kentucky	$47,730	$38,978	$35,600 – $62,050	4,530
Florida	$47,620	$40,443	$37,800 – $58,880	26,620
Delaware	$47,600	$38,462	$36,410 – $56,840	990
Wisconsin	$47,520	$39,052	$39,500 – $58,840	7,760
South Carolina	$47,320	$38,520	$37,070 – $58,480	5,530
Nevada	$47,110	$40,033	$36,870 – $56,700	4,230
Georgia	$46,840	$38,008	$36,410 – $57,710	10,540
Tennessee	$46,720	$39,720	$37,810 – $61,260	7,420
Montana	$46,680	$38,250	$37,340 – $57,900	1,450
Virginia	$46,670	$37,810	$37,720 – $58,910	10,760
Nebraska	$46,660	$38,428	$37,810 – $57,430	2,520
Missouri	$45,970	$37,894	$36,580 – $59,410	6,760
Idaho	$45,880	$37,721	$37,430 – $59,740	2,680
Oklahoma	$45,740	$37,419	$36,030 – $58,430	4,550
Texas	$45,430	$38,683	$35,400 – $57,640	33,230
Wyoming	$44,990	$38,329	$35,530 – $57,110	630
Hawaii	$44,720	$36,209	$31,540 – $50,340	1,960
New Mexico	$44,400	$36,914	$37,060 – $55,950	2,150
Louisiana	$44,090	$36,670	$31,050 – $49,640	4,540
Arkansas	$42,830	$35,136	$35,060 – $48,330	2,950
Mississippi	$39,160	$32,811	$30,650 – $58,620	3,080
Alabama	$39,080	$31,892	$30,840 – $51,400	3,740
West Virginia	$37,960	$31,650	$31,760 – $52,630	1,290
Utah	$37,760	$31,787	$35,380 – $47,680	6,640

Frequently asked questions

How much does a dental assistant make?

The national median salary for dental assistants is $48,070 a year ($23.11 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,130 and the top 10% earn over $62,250. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays dental assistants the most?

Minnesota has the highest median pay at $65,270. After taxes and local prices, Minneapolis, MN offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many dental assistants are there in the U.S.?

About 387,790 people work as dental assistants nationwide.

All 142 cities