Dental Assistants Salary: $47,300 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 375,430 dental assistants work nationally, and $47,300 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 4% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.0% annual growth.
Dental Assistants: what the data shows
Common questions about dental assistants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a dental assistants?
Dental Assistants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-9091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 375,430 workers.
What does a dental assistants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Working with Computers, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a dental assistants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,300 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $55,093 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,872 |
| 25th percentile | $46,927 |
| Median (50th) | $50,301 |
| 75th percentile | $61,665 |
| 90th percentile | $74,109 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Instructing, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is dental assistants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 4.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 9.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 375,430.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do dental assistantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 375,430 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 367,360 | 19.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 361,300 | 19.1% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 358,790 | 18.9% |
| Offices of Dentists | 343,660 | 18.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 8,070 | 0.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Dental Assistants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Dental Laboratory Technicians | 33,920 | $48,310 |
| Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians | 18,740 | $38,420 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | — | — |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | — | — |
| Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 114,190 | $37,320 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Dental Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
375,430 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Dental Assistants grew from 186,740 in 2009 to 217,260 in 2025 (16.3%).
Historical employment for Dental Assistants from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,300 Median pay (BLS national)
Dental Assistants earn $47,300 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Dental Assistants.
Salary distribution for Dental Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
1.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
227,784 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 4.8%
238,818 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 9.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Dental Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Dental Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Dental Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Dental Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Dental Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Dental Assistants.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 54,580 employees, $53,570 avg wage
- TX: 31,360 employees, $42,520 avg wage
- FL: 23,020 employees, $46,670 avg wage
- NY: 19,700 employees, $49,850 avg wage
- IL: 15,620 employees, $47,170 avg wage
- WA: 13,330 employees, $56,140 avg wage
- PA: 12,410 employees, $49,760 avg wage
- MI: 11,830 employees, $45,990 avg wage
- OH: 11,130 employees, $50,960 avg wage
- NC: 11,100 employees, $49,270 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Dental Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 21,100 employees, $51,070 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 19,300 employees, $47,960 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 12,310 employees, $48,300 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 8,310 employees, $46,470 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 8,090 employees, $39,870 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 7,960 employees, $50,870 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 7,490 employees, $59,810 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 7,190 employees, $46,810 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 7,100 employees, $65,070 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 6,820 employees, $57,960 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Dental Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Dental Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Dental Assistants is about 375,430 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Dental Assistants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Dental Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Dental Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Dental Assistants in 2023 were Business Administration, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Dental Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Dental Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Dental Assistants.
Skills
Dental Assistants need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Instructing.
Required skills for Dental Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Dental Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Dental Assistants include Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Administration and Management, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Dental Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Dental Assistants include Near Vision, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Dental Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Dental Assistants.
Daily Activities
Dental Assistants spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Assisting and Caring for Others, Working with Computers, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials.
Most important work activities for Dental Assistants.
About
Dental Assistants
Dental Assistants earn $47,300 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
31-9091 - Dental Assistants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Dental Assistants reports an average salary of $55,093.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 375,430 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.