Median pay for dental assistants runs from $26,950 in Guayama to $74,600 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.77× range across 522 metropolitan areas. The national median of $48,070 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
From $37,130 at the 10th percentile to $62,250 at the 90th is only 1.68×, which is narrow. Pay for dental assistants is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Guayama (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $74,600 | $35.86 | 1.01 | 2,870 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $72,370 | $34.79 | 0.8 | 3,910 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $64,390 | $30.96 | 1.27 | 7,530 |
| Rochester MN | $63,450 | $30.50 | 1.05 | 320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $62,040 | $29.83 | 1.37 | 7,100 |
| Portland-South Portland ME | $61,240 | $29.44 | 1.16 | 830 |
| Mankato MN | $61,010 | $29.33 | 0.88 | 120 |
| St. Cloud MN | $61,000 | $29.33 | 1.04 | 270 |
| Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $60,770 | $29.21 | 0.83 | 290 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $60,590 | $29.13 | 1.32 | 680 |
| Napa CA | $60,270 | $28.97 | 1.2 | 230 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $60,240 | $28.96 | 1.32 | 360 |
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $60,200 | $28.94 | 0.46 | 100 |
| Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $60,080 | $28.89 | 0.97 | 470 |
| Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $59,990 | $28.84 | 0.82 | 90 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $59,890 | $28.79 | 1.37 | 4,120 |
| Manchester-Nashua NH | $59,700 | $28.70 | 1.2 | 600 |
| Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $59,650 | $28.68 | 0.9 | 260 |
| Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area | $59,600 | $28.66 | 0.77 | 300 |
| Bend OR | $59,590 | $28.65 | 1.56 | 420 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $59,540 | $28.63 | 1.36 | 210 |
| Duluth MN-WI | $59,390 | $28.55 | 0.98 | 310 |
| Salem OR | $59,210 | $28.47 | 1.2 | 570 |
| Vallejo CA | $59,000 | $28.37 | 1.75 | 630 |
| Bismarck ND | $58,960 | $28.35 | 1.17 | 210 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guayama PR | $26,950 | $12.96 | 1.77 | 60 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $27,540 | $13.24 | 1.03 | 80 |
| Mayaguez PR | $29,330 | $14.10 | 1.8 | 230 |
| Ponce PR | $30,260 | $14.55 | 1.52 | 240 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $34,790 | $16.72 | 0.48 | 80 |
| Aguadilla PR | $35,030 | $16.84 | 1.49 | 180 |
| Arecibo PR | $35,100 | $16.88 | 1.91 | 170 |
| Logan UT-ID | $35,680 | $17.15 | 1.61 | 270 |
| Gadsden AL | $35,690 | $17.16 | 0.9 | 70 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $36,130 | $17.37 | 1.31 | 2,260 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | $47,070 | $22.63 | 2.62 | 370 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $36,580 | $17.59 | 2.16 | 1,640 |
| St. George UT | $36,350 | $17.48 | 2.02 | 460 |
| Yakima WA | $46,670 | $22.44 | 2 | 480 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $49,800 | $23.94 | 1.99 | 470 |
| Arecibo PR | $35,100 | $16.88 | 1.91 | 170 |
| Yuba City CA | $50,030 | $24.05 | 1.88 | 240 |
| Sherman-Denison TX | $46,040 | $22.14 | 1.86 | 240 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $47,500 | $22.84 | 1.84 | 190 |
| Modesto CA | $50,170 | $24.12 | 1.82 | 890 |
| Grand Junction CO | $46,350 | $22.28 | 1.82 | 300 |
| Bellingham WA | $49,830 | $23.96 | 1.81 | 410 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $46,900 | $22.55 | 1.35 | 21,090 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $48,430 | $23.29 | 0.88 | 20,870 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $48,950 | $23.53 | 0.93 | 10,490 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $47,860 | $23.01 | 1.31 | 9,180 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $47,570 | $22.87 | 0.89 | 9,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,540 | $22.85 | 1.08 | 8,440 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $43,730 | $21.02 | 0.99 | 8,150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $64,390 | $30.96 | 1.27 | 7,530 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $58,160 | $27.96 | 1.07 | 7,190 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $62,040 | $29.83 | 1.37 | 7,100 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $47,210 | $22.70 | 0.93 | 6,700 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $49,570 | $23.83 | 0.9 | 6,510 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 31-9091. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 522 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.