Dental assistant salary

How much do dental assistants make?

Dental assistants make a median of $48,070 a year, about half of what dental hygienist salary figures show for hygienists ($98,100).^{[oews_asst][oews_hyg]} The gap is mostly education and licensure: hygienists need an accredited degree and a state license to clean teeth and take on their own patient schedule, while many assistants train on the job or in a certificate program of about a year and work chairside with the dentist.^[ooh_da] BLS projects 7% job growth for assistants from 2025 to 2035, about 53,000 openings a year.

The distribution is narrow at the bottom and wider at the top: the 10th percentile is $37,130, only $10,940 below the median, while the 90th percentile adds $14,180 above it. The top of the range tends to be assistants with extra state permits (radiography, coronal polishing, expanded functions) or office-management duties, and assistants in high-wage metros.

Dental assistant salary by state

Dental assistant pay is highest in Minnesota ($65,270), District of Columbia ($60,580), Maine ($60,070), New Hampshire ($59,530), Oregon ($59,490) and lowest in Utah ($37,760), West Virginia ($37,960), Alabama ($39,080), Mississippi ($39,160), Arkansas ($42,830).^[oews_asst] The ranking differs from the hygienist ranking: Minnesota, Maine and New Hampshire rank much higher for assistants than for hygienists, so a good state for one career is not automatically a good state for the other.

• Alabama$39,080
• Alaska$57,710
• Arizona$49,000
• Arkansas$42,830
• California$50,110
• Colorado$48,340
• Connecticut$56,850
• Delaware$47,600
• District of Columbia$60,580
• Florida$47,620
• Georgia$46,840
• Hawaii$44,720
• Idaho$45,880
• Illinois$48,610
• Indiana$48,670
• Iowa$48,430
• Kansasn/a
• Kentucky$47,730
• Louisiana$44,090
• Maine$60,070
• Maryland$48,620
• Massachusetts$57,980
• Michigan$48,820
• Minnesota$65,270
• Mississippi$39,160
• Missouri$45,970
• Montana$46,680
• Nebraska$46,660
• Nevada$47,110
• New Hampshire$59,530
• New Jersey$49,390
• New Mexico$44,400
• New York$48,110
• North Carolina$50,380
• North Dakota$57,770
• Ohio$47,970
• Oklahoma$45,740
• Oregon$59,490
• Pennsylvania$47,930
• Rhode Island$50,150
• South Carolina$47,320
• South Dakota$47,900
• Tennessee$46,720
• Texas$45,430
• Utah$37,760
• Vermont$52,760
• Virginia$46,670
• Washington$58,090
• West Virginia$37,960
• Wisconsin$47,520
• Wyoming$44,990

Darker = higher median. Range $37,760 (Utah) to $65,270 (Minnesota).

No published May 2025 estimate: Kansas.

California employs the most dental assistants by far (56,220 jobs) and has its own registered dental assistant (RDA) license; see dental assistant salary in California for its pay and license rules. The widest pay ranges, measured as the 90th percentile divided by the 10th, are in Ohio (2.1×), Mississippi (1.9×), California (1.9×), where credentials and location make the biggest difference.

Dental assistant take-home pay

At the $48,070 median, a single dental assistant takes home about $40,804 a year ($1,569 every two weeks) after 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, before state tax.^[irs_2026] At this income the federal tax is small: $3,588 after the $16,100 standard deduction, which leaves Social Security and Medicare ($3,677) as the larger deduction. Enter your state rate in the calculator for your own estimate.

How dental assistants raise their pay

The clearest pay step for a dental assistant is a credential the state recognizes. Most states do not require a license for entry-level assisting, but some require registration or certification for radiography, infection control or expanded duties such as coronal polishing.^[ooh_da] Each state’s dental board decides which tasks an assistant may perform and which require a permit, registration or national certification, so the same job title can pay quite differently across a state line.

1. State permits. Radiography (x-ray), coronal polishing, sealants and infection-control permits are required in many states before an assistant may do those tasks.
2. Registration or certification. Some states register or license assistants, such as California’s RDA; national certification from the Dental Assisting National Board is accepted or required in others. DANB’s Certified Dental Assistant exam has three parts (chairside assisting, radiation health and safety, infection control), 245 questions, and costs $450 in 2026; you qualify through an accredited program or 3,500 hours of work experience.^[danb_cda]
3. Expanded functions. Expanded-function assistants (EFDA, RDAEF) may place and finish fillings in states that allow it, usually after a board-approved course and exam.
4. Becoming a hygienist. The biggest jump: the national hygienist median is $50,030 higher. Use the school cost and payback calculator to see how long that takes to pay off.

For a side-by-side comparison in your state, use dental hygienist vs dental assistant.