Dental Assistant Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 8,639 US job postings by 1,495 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for dental assistants: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 8,639 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for dental assistants in US job postings is $24.00 an hour (2,976 postings from 358 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $21.50 to $27.50 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $24.00 an hour (345 postings).
- The skills that most set dental assistant postings apart are sterilization, dental terminology, infection control.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1 year of experience.
Dental Assistant job postings in the US, October 2026
- $24.00/hr
- Median advertised pay (2,976 postings)
- $21.50–$27.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- $24.00/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 8,639
- US job postings from 1,495 employers
How much does a dental assistant make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $24.00 an hour, from 2,976 US job postings by 358 employers that state pay. That is about $50,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 2,976 US dental assistant job postings: median $50,000 a year ($24.00 an hour), middle half $45,000 to $57,000.
- Median: $50,000 ($24.00/hr)
- 25th percentile: $45,000
- 75th percentile: $57,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 0.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 9.5% |
| $40K–$50K | 42.3% |
| $50K–$60K | 27.5% |
| $60K–$70K | 17.7% |
| $70K–$80K | 2.4% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $24.00 | $21.50–$27.50 | 1,199 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $50,000 | $45K–$57K | 2,976 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Dental Assistants (31-9091) at $48,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a dental assistant?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $24.00 an hour (345 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $24.00/hr | 345 |
| 2-4 years | withheld | 212 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 10 |
Highest-paying dental assistant jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistant (general) | $24.00/hr | 2,822 | 342 |
Dental assistant pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $25.53/hr | $22.75–$28.38 | 486 | 16.8% |
| Colorado | $24.88/hr | $23.75–$25.00 | 102 | 2.9% |
| New York | $24.06/hr | $22.01–$27.00 | 115 | 6.0% |
| Texas | $21.62/hr | $20.00–$22.50 | 251 | 11.1% |
Skills employers ask for in dental assistant job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 35% |
| Customer service | 15% |
| Attention to detail | 15% |
| Interpersonal skills | 15% |
| Team player | 9% |
| Organizational skills | 8% |
| Reliable | 8% |
| Teamwork | 7% |
| Organized | 7% |
| Compassionate | 7% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set dental assistants apart
- Infection control20.2× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Hipaa7.1× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Reliable4.8× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Friendly4.5× as often as in all postings · 6%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a dental assistant job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a dental assistant do?
Employers post these jobs as Registered Dental Assistant, Orthodontic Assistant, Certified Dental Assistant, Lead Dental Assistant, Dental Assistant II and other titles. The largest specializations are Treatment Coordinator (3%), EFDA (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Dental Assistants (31-9091.00). Its most important tasks:
- Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.
- Record treatment information in patient records.
- Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies.
- Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory.
- Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a dental assistant?
Among 1,084 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1 year. 1% say 0 years and 63% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,084 US dental assistant job postings: median 1 year, and 63% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 4% |
| 1 yr | 59% |
| 2 yrs | 26% |
| 3-4 yrs | 9% |
| 5-7 yrs | 2% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | 0% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 82%, Part-time 18% of the 895 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a dental assistant: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Dental Assistant | 960 (64.2%) |
| Registered Dental Assistant | 182 (12.2%) |
| Orthodontic Assistant | 70 (4.7%) |
| Certified Dental Assistant | 67 (4.5%) |
| Lead Dental Assistant | 44 (2.9%) |
| Dental Assistant II | 41 (2.7%) |
| Orthodontic Dental Assistant | 38 (2.5%) |
| Expanded Functions Dental Assistant | 37 (2.5%) |
| Dental Assistant I | 34 (2.3%) |
| Pediatric Dental Assistant | 31 (2.1%) |
| Experienced Dental Assistant | 29 (1.9%) |
| Licensed Dental Assistant | 25 (1.7%) |
| Oral Surgery Assistant | 25 (1.7%) |
| Expanded Function Dental Assistant | 21 (1.4%) |
| Surgical Dental Assistant | 20 (1.3%) |
| Part-Time Dental Assistant | 13 (0.9%) |
| Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) | 13 (0.9%) |
| Oral Surgery Dental Assistant | 12 (0.8%) |
| Expanded Duties Dental Assistant | 12 (0.8%) |
| Future Opening: Dental Assistant | 11 (0.7%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Dental assistant job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Dental Assistant | 753 | 182 | $25.88/hr | – | communication, customer service, attention to detail |
Dental Assistant compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistant | $24.00/hr | 1 year | 8,639 | – |
| Housekeeper | $17.75/hr | 1 year | 20,700 | 16 |
| Dental Hygienist | $53.00/hr | 1 year | 3,941 | 19 |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | $34.52/hr | 1 year | 12,964 | 13 |
| Patient Services Representative | $21.50/hr | 1 year | 14,137 | 16 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Housekeeper | 16 | $17.75/hr |
| Dental Hygienist | 19 | $53.00/hr |
| Physical Therapist Assistant | 13 | $34.52/hr |
| Patient Services Representative | 16 | $21.50/hr |
| Certified Nursing Assistant | 13 | $21.00/hr |
| Customer Service Representative | 15 | $19.00/hr |
Applying for dental assistant jobs?
- Dental assistant resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find dental assistant jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make an hour?
What is the starting salary for a dental assistant?
What are the highest-paying dental assistant jobs?
How much does a Registered Dental Assistant make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 20 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.