Minnesota is the highest paying state for dental assistants, while Santa Rosa, Calif., is the highest paying city, according to data compiled by Becker's from several sources.
Four stats on dental assistant pay to know:
- Minnesota is the top paying state, with an hourly wage of $25.80 and an annual mean wage of $53,670.
- Mississippi is the lowest paying state, with an hourly wage of $15.35 and an annual mean wage of $31,930.
- Santa Rosa, Calif., is the highest paying city ,with an average salary of $58,570.
- According to a May 2021 poll by the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute, the majority of recruiting dental practices said their pay rate for dental assistants had increased. Of the 891 respondents, 73.1 percent said dental assistants at their practices experienced a pay rate increase, 26.4 percent said the pay rate stayed the same and 0.5 percent experienced a decrease.