As of May 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Dental Assistant in the United States is $20. While Salary.com is seeing that the highest pay for Dental Assistant in the US can go up to $24 and the lowest down to $17, but most earn between $19 and $22. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Dental Assistant in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $22 | $2 | $0 | $0 |
| Average | $20 | $2 | $0 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $19 | $2 | $0 | $0 |
As of May 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Dental Assistant with under 1 year experience makes about $41,178. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Dental Assistant makes around $41,838. After 2-4 years, the Dental Assistant pay rises to about $43,461. Those senior Dental Assistant with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $43,635, and those Dental Assistant having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $43,751 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Dental Assistant | $41,178 |
| Intermediate Level Dental Assistant | $41,838 |
| Senior Level Dental Assistant | $43,461 |
| Specialist Level Dental Assistant | $43,635 |
| Expert Level Dental Assistant | $43,751 |
| Entry Level | 1% |
| Mid Level | 0% |
| Senior Level | 4% |
| Top Level | 5% |
| Experienced | 5% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of May 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Dental Assistant is $46,019 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $45,406. While in New Jersey, a Dental Assistant earns $45,222 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of May 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Dental Assistant in San Francisco, CA is $52,107 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $48,352. While a Dental Assistant earns $46,533 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Dental Assistant salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of May 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Dental Assistant compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $44,740 in 2023 to about $44,704 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Dental Assistant salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Dental Assistant information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Dental Assistant job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Dental Assistant and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $41,722 | 60.4% | ||
| Bonus | $6,152 | 8.9% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $3,662 | 5.3% | ||
| 401K/403B | $2,346 | 3.4% | ||
| Disability | $766 | 1.1% | ||
| Healthcare | $6,371 | 9.2% | ||
| Pension | $2,011 | 2.9% | ||
| Time Off | $6,076 | 8.8% | ||
| Total Compensation | $69,106 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.7% |
| High School | 78.4% |
| Associates | 14.5% |
| Bachelors | 5.9% |
| Masters | 0.4% |
| Doctorate | 0.2% |
What Am I Worth?
Assists with dental surgical and other procedures under the direct supervision of a dentist. Prepares patient and arranges instruments and supplies used for procedures. Hands instruments to the dentist and helps during treatment. Ensures all instruments are sterile and follows infection control protocols. Records treatment notes and updates patient records. May take and process x-rays. May require an associate degree in dental assisting or equivalent. Has Basic Life Support (BLS) and depending on state, may have licensing requirement. Typically reports to a dentist. Works under moderate supervision. Gaining or has attained full proficiency in a specific area of discipline. Typically requires 1-3 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Customer Service: Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Pediatric: Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Front Office: The front office represents the customer-facing division of a firm. For example, customer service, sales, and industry experts who provide advisory services are considered part of a firm's front office operations.
