Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of dental assistant salary by state for the United States:
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Alaska has the highest dental assistant salary of $45,905
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Mississippi has the lowest dental assistant salary of $28,202
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The national average salary for dental assistants is $37,730
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The national hourly pay for dental assistants is $18.14
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Without fail, in surveys across basically every demographic, the number one most important aspect of a job for most people is the salary — how much do dental assistants get paid where I live?
And while there are many things to go into how much you, specifically, can expect to make, there’s really good data for average salaries for dental assistant by state across America broken down by seniority level. So while your city may be slightly different than the state average, these averages give you a rough sense of what to expect for your salary.
The state with the best salary for dental assistants after this adjustment? That would be Alaska.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for dental assistant salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Dental Assistants By State
| Rank | State | Average Dental Assistant Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $45,905 | $38,000 | $55,000 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $45,756 | $32,000 | $63,000 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $43,156 | $29,000 | $62,000 |
| 4 | Oregon | $43,100 | $31,000 | $58,000 |
| 5 | Hawaii | $43,052 | $35,000 | $51,000 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $41,838 | $31,000 | $55,000 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $41,446 | $27,000 | $63,000 |
| 8 | Washington | $40,732 | $30,000 | $54,000 |
| 9 | Vermont | $40,663 | $28,000 | $57,000 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $40,481 | $27,000 | $59,000 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $40,396 | $28,000 | $57,000 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $40,349 | $26,000 | $60,000 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $39,831 | $29,000 | $54,000 |
| 14 | New York | $39,603 | $26,000 | $60,000 |
| 15 | Maryland | $39,581 | $25,000 | $60,000 |
| 16 | California | $39,406 | $28,000 | $54,000 |
| 17 | Virginia | $39,343 | $26,000 | $59,000 |
| 18 | Delaware | $38,548 | $25,000 | $59,000 |
| 19 | Maine | $38,157 | $27,000 | $52,000 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $37,878 | $24,000 | $57,000 |
| 21 | Colorado | $37,839 | $28,000 | $50,000 |
| 22 | Iowa | $36,582 | $26,000 | $50,000 |
| 23 | Michigan | $36,540 | $24,000 | $53,000 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $36,366 | $26,000 | $49,000 |
| 25 | Arizona | $36,293 | $26,000 | $49,000 |
| 26 | Indiana | $36,282 | $25,000 | $51,000 |
| 27 | Illinois | $35,979 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| 28 | Nevada | $35,700 | $26,000 | $48,000 |
| 29 | Georgia | $35,699 | $26,000 | $48,000 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $34,995 | $24,000 | $49,000 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $34,605 | $25,000 | $46,000 |
| 32 | Florida | $34,292 | $25,000 | $47,000 |
| 33 | Ohio | $33,770 | $22,000 | $49,000 |
| 34 | Kansas | $33,636 | $25,000 | $45,000 |
| 35 | Texas | $33,606 | $24,000 | $45,000 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $33,535 | $23,000 | $47,000 |
| 37 | Idaho | $32,975 | $24,000 | $43,000 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $32,832 | $24,000 | $43,000 |
| 39 | Utah | $32,032 | $24,000 | $42,000 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $31,804 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 41 | Missouri | $31,690 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $31,479 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $31,378 | $22,000 | $43,000 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $31,289 | $23,000 | $42,000 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $30,977 | $20,000 | $45,000 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $30,348 | $22,000 | $40,000 |
| 47 | Montana | $30,037 | $22,000 | $39,000 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $29,773 | $22,000 | $39,000 |
| 49 | Alabama | $29,541 | $21,000 | $39,000 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $28,202 | $20,000 | $37,000 |
Methodology: Dental Assistant Salary By State
To better understand dental assistant pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for dental assistants by state.
We took the average annual salary data for dental assistants from these estimates and ranked every state on this criteria with the state with the highest salary ranking as highest average salary for dental assistants.
Dental Assistant Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for dental assistants?
The highest-paid state for dental assistants is Alaska with an average salary of $45,905 per year.
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What city pays dental assistants the most?
Saint Paul, MN pays dental assistants the most with an average salary of $45,858 per year.
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What is the worst state for dental assistants?
The worst state for dental assistants is Mississippi with an average salary of $28,202 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
