Dental Assistant Salary in the U.S. (2026)
Dental assistants in the United States earn a median of $25/hr ($52,000/yr), based on 1455 DirectDental job posts.
DirectDental job posts
$25/hr $52,000/yr
Median
Middle 50% of posts: $23/hr to $29/hr
Based on pay listed in 1455 jobs posted on DirectDental between October 2025 and October 2026. Listed pay may differ from final offers and doesn't include benefits.
Government data (BLS)
$23/hr $47,000/yr
Median
10th to 90th percentile: $17/hr to $30/hr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Government data covers all employers, not only those hiring on DirectDental.
Recent dental assistant jobs
- Dental Assistant Confidential Dental Practice, Los Angeles, CA $17.87 - $27 / hour
- Orthodontic Assistant Confidential Dental Practice, Los Angeles, CA $27 - $30 / hour
- Orthodontic Assistant Confidential Dental Practice, Los Angeles, CA $27 - $30 / hour
- Orthodontic Assistant Leah Walker Orthodontics, Carlsbad, CA $20 - $25 / hour
- Dental Assistant Confidential Dental Practice, East Brunswick, NJ $25 - $30 / hour
- Dental Assistant Maple Avenue Family Dentistry, Barrington, RI $24 - $27 / hour
Highest and lowest paying states
- Highest: Minnesota $32/hr
- Highest: Massachusetts $30/hr
- Highest: New Hampshire $29/hr
- Highest: Oregon $28/hr
- Highest: New Jersey $27/hr
- Lowest: Arkansas $18/hr
- Lowest: West Virginia $18/hr
- Lowest: Utah $18/hr
- Lowest: Alabama $18/hr
- Lowest: Mississippi $18/hr
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in the United States?
Dental assistants in the United States earn a median of $25/hr ($52,000/yr), based on 1455 DirectDental job posts.
What is the pay range for dental assistants in the United States?
The middle half of DirectDental job posts pay $23/hr to $29/hr.
Which states pay dental assistants the most?
By median pay, the top states are Minnesota ($32/hr), Massachusetts ($30/hr), and New Hampshire ($29/hr). Rankings use DirectDental job posts where a state has enough of them, and government data otherwise.
How we calculate this
- DirectDental figures use jobs published in the last 12 months with listed pay, not counting temp shifts.
- Each job counts once, at the middle of its pay range or its exact amount. Yearly pay is divided by 2,080 hours, monthly pay by 173 hours, and daily pay by 8 hours. Repeat posts of the same job count once.
- We show DirectDental figures only when a place has at least 10 jobs; otherwise the page shows government data.
- Last updated October 31, 2026.
- These figures are estimates for general information and are not a guarantee of pay.