Dental Assistant salary: $23.50/hr$940/wk$48,880/yr median.
Pay range $21.00$840$43,680–$26.50/hr$1,060/wk$55,120/yr across the middle 50% of active Support Dental postings nationwide.
3,455 unique employers · 2,037 cities · 52 states. Pay moved -2.1% over the last 30 days.
How Dental Assistant pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $19.00/hr$760/wk$39,520/yr. The top 10% pay above $30.00/hr$1,200/wk$62,400/yr.
How Dental Assistant pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $24.00 in May 2026 to $23.00 in Oct 2026 (-4.2%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $24.00$960$49,920 | $22.00$880$45,760–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 112 |
| Jun 2026 | $24.25$970$50,440 | $22.50$900$46,800–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 146 |
| Jul 2026 | $24.50$980$50,960 | $22.00$880$45,760–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 267 |
| Aug 2026 | $24.00$960$49,920 | $22.00$880$45,760–$27.00$1,080$56,160 | 396 |
| Sep 2026 | $23.00$920$47,840 | $21.00$840$43,680–$26.00$1,040$54,080 | 1,487 |
| Oct 2026 | $23.00$920$47,840 | $21.00$840$43,680–$26.50$1,060$55,120 | 2,747 |
Dental Assistant pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 49 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Dental Assistant paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| san francisco | CA · CALIFORNIA | $32.00$1,280$66,560 | $28.00$1,120$58,240–$34.00$1,360$70,720 | 24 |
| sunnyvale | CA · CALIFORNIA | $31.00$1,240$64,480 | $30.50$1,220$63,440–$32.50$1,300$67,600 | 11 |
| saint paul | MN · MINNESOTA | $31.00$1,240$64,480 | $31.00$1,240$64,480–$31.38$1,255$65,270 | 10 |
| worcester | MA · MASSACHUSETTS | $29.50$1,180$61,360 | $27.50$1,100$57,200–$30.00$1,200$62,400 | 13 |
| littleton | CO · COLORADO | $29.00$1,160$60,320 | $24.00$960$49,920–$31.00$1,240$64,480 | 13 |
CITY PAY DATA
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Where the top of the market is paying for Dental Assistant.
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| AltaMed Health Services | $30.00$1,200$62,400 | $30.00$1,200$62,400–$33.00$1,320$68,640 | 6 |
| AMPLA HEALTH | $32.00$1,280$66,560 | $28.50$1,140$59,280–$32.00$1,280$66,560 | 5 |
| Braces Bar | $40.00$1,600$83,200 | $40.00$1,600$83,200–$41.50$1,660$86,320 | 6 |
| Chestnut Dental | $31.50$1,260$65,520 | $29.00$1,160$60,320–$37.00$1,480$76,960 | 6 |
| Espire Dental | $30.00$1,200$62,400 | $20.00$800$41,600–$33.50$1,340$69,680 | 7 |
| Nuvia Dental Implant Center | $34.50$1,380$71,760 | $26.50$1,060$55,120–$43.00$1,720$89,440 | 17 |
| Park Dental | $32.00$1,280$66,560 | $21.00$840$43,680–$32.00$1,280$66,560 | 8 |
| Progressive Dental Management | $30.00$1,200$62,400 | $24.00$960$49,920–$30.00$1,200$62,400 | 5 |
| The Dental Specialists | $32.00$1,280$66,560 | $31.00$1,240$64,480–$32.00$1,280$66,560 | 6 |
| Willamette Dental | $32.75$1,310$68,120 | $28.00$1,120$58,240–$40.50$1,620$84,240 | 14 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Dental Assistant pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Temporary, Parttime pays the most at $30.00/hr$1,200/wk$62,400/yr median — 30% above Fulltime at $23.00/hr$920/wk$47,840/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 5,666 active postings.
How to become a Dental Assistant.
Dental professionals diagnose, prevent, and treat conditions of the teeth, gums, and oral cavity. The category covers the full team: dentists (DDS/DMD), dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental lab technicians. Each role has a distinct educational pathway and credentialing exam, with very different scope and pay levels.
Each role has its own ladder. Dentist: bachelor's (with DAT) → 4-year DDS/DMD → INBDE → state license. Hygienist: 2-4 year accredited program → NBDHE + state clinical exam → state license. Assistant: certificate or on-the-job → DANB CDA exam (varies by state). All roles renew licensure with continuing education.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Dental Surgery / Doctor of Medicine in DentistryDDS / DMD | 4 years post-bachelor | Both degrees are equivalent. Required for dentist licensure. Accredited programs (CODA) include 2 years preclinical + 2 years clinical training. |
| Specialty residencyCert / MS | 2-6 years post-DDS | Required for the 12 ADA-recognized specialties: orthodontics, oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, oral pathology, oral radiology, dental public health, oral medicine, orofacial pain, dental anesthesiology. |
| Dental hygiene degreeAS / BS | 2-4 years | Associate or bachelor's degree from a CODA-accredited program. Eligible for the NBDHE and state clinical exam to become an RDH. |
| Dental assisting certificateCert | 9-12 months | Short program covering chairside assisting, radiography, and infection control. Many states allow on-the-job training as well, but a certificate plus DANB credential accelerates pay and scope. |
Required to practice dentistry. Eligibility requires graduation from a CODA-accredited program, passing the INBDE, and passing a state or regional clinical exam.
Required to practice dental hygiene. Eligibility requires graduation from an accredited program, passing the NBDHE, and passing a state clinical exam.
Required for expanded-function dental assistants in many states. Optional but strongly preferred elsewhere.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| ADA specialty board Specialty board certification (12 recognized specialties) Specialty practice (ortho, oral surgery, endo, perio, pedo, prostho) materially increases scope and compensation. | ADA-recognized specialty board | +30-100% |
| DANB CDA / EFDA Certified Dental Assistant / Expanded Function Dental Assistant Expanded-function credentials let assistants place fillings, take impressions, and perform other reversible procedures under dentist supervision. | DANB | +5-15% |
| Local anesthesia / nitrous certificate Local anesthesia administration permit Lets hygienists administer local anesthesia in states that permit it. Standard upgrade for high-volume hygiene practices. | State Board of Dentistry | +5-10% |
- 0-3 yearsDental assistant
Chairside support, sterilization, radiographs, and patient prep. Common entry into the field for those exploring dental school or hygiene programs.
- 0+ years (with RDH license)Dental hygienist
Independent scope for prophylaxis, scaling, periodontal therapy, and patient education. Many offices structure hygiene as a separate clinical track with its own column.
- 0-5 years post-DDS/DMDAssociate dentist
Newly licensed dentist working as an associate in a private practice or DSO group. Typically paid on a daily guarantee plus production percentage.
- 5-10 yearsSpecialist or Senior Associate
Completed specialty residency (ortho, oral surgery, endo, etc.) or established generalist with predictable production. Often the partnership-track point in private practice.
- 10+ yearsPractice owner / Partner
Owns or co-owns the practice. Production-plus-ownership compensation, with the corresponding business risk.
Schedule. Most dental practices run 4-5 day workweeks during business hours. Saturday hours are common in DSO and corporate practices. Hospital oral surgery and dental anesthesiology can include trauma call.
Physical demands. Long stretches in static seated posture leaning over patients. MSK strain (neck, lower back, hands) is a known long-term issue. Magnification loupes and ergonomic chairs are standard.
Dental demand is steady, driven by an aging population and steady cosmetic / orthodontic interest. Dental hygiene is one of the faster-growing healthcare occupations. The dentist market is shifting toward DSO employment for new graduates, with private-practice ownership now typically reached later in a career.
What clinicians ask about Dental Assistant pay.
What is the average Dental Assistant salary in 2026?
The median Dental Assistant salary is $23.50/hr (approximately $48,880/yr) based on 7,248 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Dental Assistant?
Hourly pay ranges from $21.00 at the 25th percentile to $26.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $30.00/hr.
Which state pays Dental Assistant roles the most?
Minnesota currently leads with a median of $31.00/hr across 105 postings.
How many employers are hiring Dental Assistants?
Our dataset shows 3,455 unique employers posting Dental Assistant roles across 52 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Dental Assistant salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 6-month window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Dental tracks.
Dental Assistant sits inside the Support track. Here are sibling tracks across Dental — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 6-month window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.