Pay by state · 53 areas
Dental Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Dental Assistants earn the most in Minnesota at $65,270 a year and the least in Utah at $37,760 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $48,070. The table below covers 49 states, DC, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $65,270Minnesota
- National median
- $48,070BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $37,760Utah
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for dental assistants
Ranked on the state median among the 49 reporting states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Minnesota$65,270
- 2District of Columbia$60,580
- 3Maine$60,070
- 4New Hampshire$59,530
- 5Oregon$59,490
Lowest median pay
- 1Utah$37,760
- 2West Virginia$37,960
- 3Alabama$39,080
- 4Mississippi$39,160
- 5Arkansas$42,830
All states
Dental Assistant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of dental assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MNMinnesota | $65,270 | $59,940 | $74,410 | 5,980 | $66,183 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $60,580 | $58,590 | $74,220 | 630 | $55,122 |
| 3 | MEMaine | $60,070 | $49,250 | $61,510 | 1,550 | $61,896 |
| 4 | NHNew Hampshire | $59,530 | $49,260 | $61,160 | 1,600 | $57,150 |
| 5 | OROregon | $59,490 | $56,600 | $63,520 | 5,930 | $57,556 |
| 6 | WAWashington | $58,090 | $48,780 | $62,340 | 13,050 | $54,283 |
| 7 | MAMassachusetts | $57,980 | $48,600 | $60,720 | 9,680 | $54,824 |
| 8 | NDNorth Dakota | $57,770 | $47,150 | $60,270 | 860 | $64,940 |
| 9 | AKAlaska | $57,710 | $47,480 | $61,370 | 1,140 | $56,380 |
| 10 | CTConnecticut | $56,850 | $48,360 | $59,650 | 3,840 | $54,869 |
| 11 | VTVermont | $52,760 | $47,350 | $60,420 | 580 | $53,860 |
| 12 | NCNorth Carolina | $50,380 | $47,680 | $57,720 | 11,450 | $53,411 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $50,150 | $48,070 | $59,170 | 1,050 | $49,032 |
| 14 | CACalifornia | $50,110 | $46,270 | $60,670 | 56,220 | $45,258 |
| 15 | NJNew Jersey | $49,390 | $45,970 | $61,290 | 9,990 | $45,393 |
| 16 | AZArizona | $49,000 | $46,050 | $57,880 | 8,680 | $48,671 |
| 17 | MIMichigan | $48,820 | $45,390 | $56,940 | 11,990 | $50,739 |
| 18 | INIndiana | $48,670 | $45,860 | $57,720 | 6,690 | $52,149 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $48,620 | $41,600 | $58,820 | 6,560 | $46,323 |
| 20 | ILIllinois | $48,610 | $40,390 | $56,860 | 13,740 | $48,630 |
| 21 | IAIowa | $48,430 | $45,990 | $57,620 | 3,210 | $55,183 |
| 22 | COColorado | $48,340 | $45,520 | $58,340 | 8,360 | $46,908 |
| 23 | NYNew York | $48,110 | $44,730 | $58,630 | 19,800 | $44,579 |
| 24 | OHOhio | $47,970 | $42,660 | $59,520 | 12,150 | $51,706 |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $47,930 | $45,620 | $56,840 | 12,080 | $49,123 |
| 26 | SDSouth Dakota | $47,900 | $47,060 | $57,890 | 1,290 | $54,072 |
| 27 | KYKentucky | $47,730 | $42,400 | $56,760 | 4,530 | $52,940 |
| 28 | FLFlorida | $47,620 | $45,120 | $54,690 | 26,620 | $46,048 |
| 29 | DEDelaware | $47,600 | $43,480 | $55,650 | 990 | $47,692 |
| 30 | WIWisconsin | $47,520 | $45,560 | $55,630 | 7,760 | $50,502 |
| 31 | SCSouth Carolina | $47,320 | $43,000 | $50,780 | 5,530 | $50,475 |
| 32 | NVNevada | $47,110 | $37,760 | $48,450 | 4,230 | $47,120 |
| 33 | GAGeorgia | $46,840 | $40,270 | $48,960 | 10,540 | $48,643 |
| 34 | TNTennessee | $46,720 | $44,440 | $59,270 | 7,420 | $50,854 |
| 35 | MTMontana | $46,680 | $43,820 | $49,920 | 1,450 | $49,321 |
| 36 | VAVirginia | $46,670 | $39,160 | $53,040 | 10,760 | $46,160 |
| 37 | NENebraska | $46,660 | $43,590 | $49,370 | 2,520 | $51,785 |
| 38 | MOMissouri | $45,970 | $38,990 | $50,150 | 6,760 | $50,618 |
| 39 | IDIdaho | $45,880 | $39,800 | $57,690 | 2,680 | $48,045 |
| 40 | OKOklahoma | $45,740 | $37,210 | $47,990 | 4,550 | $52,070 |
| 41 | TXTexas | $45,430 | $37,360 | $48,280 | 33,230 | $46,808 |
| 42 | WYWyoming | $44,990 | $36,460 | $48,490 | 630 | $48,538 |
| 43 | HIHawaii | $44,720 | $37,580 | $48,120 | 1,960 | $40,673 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $44,400 | $38,300 | $47,160 | 2,150 | $48,150 |
| 45 | LALouisiana | $44,090 | $36,590 | $46,630 | 4,540 | $49,985 |
| 46 | ARArkansas | $42,830 | $36,790 | $46,730 | 2,950 | $49,266 |
| 47 | GUGuam | $40,280 | $35,590 | $43,420 | 110 | N/A |
| 48 | MSMississippi | $39,160 | $36,240 | $47,450 | 3,080 | $45,036 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $39,080 | $36,190 | $47,100 | 3,740 | $43,998 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $37,960 | $36,360 | $45,180 | 1,290 | $42,415 |
| 51 | UTUtah | $37,760 | $36,400 | $45,770 | 6,640 | $38,194 |
| 52 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $36,540 | $30,620 | $37,850 | 70 | N/A |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $35,910 | $27,620 | $46,850 | 3,210 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For dental assistants, the adjustment does not change the leader: Minnesota is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $66,183.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Dental Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays dental assistants the most?
Minnesota reports the highest median wage for dental assistants at $65,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($60,580) and Maine ($60,070).
Which state pays dental assistants the least?
Among the 49 reporting states and DC, Utah reports the lowest median for dental assistants at $37,760 a year, $27,510 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $40,280, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $36,540 and Puerto Rico reports $35,910.
Is the highest-paying state the best for dental assistants after cost of living?
Yes. Minnesota stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $66,183 in national-average dollars from a raw $65,270. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.