Pay distribution $47,780 10th $48,770 25th $61,050 75th $72,780 90th
Half of Dental Assistants in the Boston metro area earn more than $58,160 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $48,770 and $61,050.
Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS) Wage 10th 25th Median 75th 90th Annual $47,780 $48,770 $58,160 $61,050 $72,780 Hourly $22.97 $23.45 $27.96 $29.35 $34.99
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares Boston metro areathis metro area
$58,160 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $48,770 to $61,050
$57,980 median for Massachusetts; middle half earns $48,600 to $60,720
$48,070 median for United States; middle half earns $44,340 to $58,090
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is about the same vs Massachusetts overall and +21% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally $26,950 $42,833 $58,717 $74,600 Guayama, PR — $26,950 Mayaguez, PR — $29,330 Ponce, PR — $30,260 Aguadilla, PR — $35,030 Arecibo, PR — $35,100 Logan, UT-ID — $35,680 Gadsden, AL — $35,690 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $36,130 St. George, UT — $36,350 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT — $36,580 Jonesboro, AR — $36,720 Dothan, AL — $36,820 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV — $36,820 Monroe, LA — $37,020 Anniston-Oxford, AL — $37,060 Fort Smith, AR-OK — $37,160 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL — $37,170 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX — $37,230 Ogden, UT — $37,300 Enid, OK — $37,320 Beckley, WV — $37,410 Hot Springs, AR — $37,440 Dalton, GA — $37,530 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX — $37,560 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA — $37,870 Laredo, TX — $37,900 Tuscaloosa, AL — $38,050 Charleston, WV — $38,090 Texarkana, TX-AR — $38,180 Hattiesburg, MS — $38,190 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL — $38,220 Montgomery, AL — $38,260 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $38,330 Tyler, TX — $38,390 Las Cruces, NM — $38,400 Morgantown, WV — $38,540 Auburn-Opelika, AL — $38,550 San Angelo, TX — $38,710 Corpus Christi, TX — $38,730 Mobile, AL — $38,800 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA — $38,950 El Paso, TX — $39,090 Abilene, TX — $39,510 Lubbock, TX — $39,900 Lake Charles, LA — $40,200 Wichita Falls, TX — $40,280 Decatur, AL — $40,440 Birmingham, AL — $42,050 Columbus, GA-AL — $42,050 Florence, SC — $42,220 Farmington, NM — $42,400 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH — $42,660 Urban Honolulu, HI — $42,750 Albany, GA — $42,820 Joplin, MO-KS — $43,010 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY — $43,010 Alexandria, LA — $43,270 Longview, TX — $43,300 Johnstown, PA — $43,370 Valdosta, GA — $43,380 Lawton, OK — $43,430 St. Joseph, MO-KS — $43,500 College Station-Bryan, TX — $43,630 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $43,730 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC — $43,790 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH — $43,790 Youngstown-Warren, OH — $43,800 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — $43,820 Macon-Bibb County, GA — $43,920 Huntsville, AL — $43,930 Athens-Clarke County, GA — $43,970 Victoria, TX — $43,980 Waco, TX — $43,980 Amarillo, TX — $44,010 Warner Robins, GA — $44,030 Jefferson City, MO — $44,090 Hinesville, GA — $44,150 Odessa, TX — $44,300 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL — $44,370 Mansfield, OH — $44,410 Killeen-Temple, TX — $44,450 Twin Falls, ID — $44,610 Wheeling, WV-OH — $44,610 Pocatello, ID — $44,620 Baton Rouge, LA — $44,800 Albuquerque, NM — $44,810 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX — $44,820 Binghamton, NY — $44,840 Battle Creek, MI — $44,860 Ocala, FL — $44,900 Erie, PA — $44,930 Lafayette, LA — $44,940 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS — $45,020 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — $45,020 Charlottesville, VA — $45,040 Bay City, MI — $45,070 Idaho Falls, ID — $45,110 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA — $45,110 Lynchburg, VA — $45,110 Homosassa Springs, FL — $45,140 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $45,140 Roanoke, VA — $45,170 Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI — $45,190 Sebring, FL — $45,200 Cleveland, TN — $45,230 Altoona, PA — $45,310 Harrisonburg, VA — $45,320 Owensboro, KY — $45,330 Tallahassee, FL — $45,330 Canton-Massillon, OH — $45,340 Yuma, AZ — $45,350 Springfield, IL — $45,390 Muncie, IN — $45,500 Springfield, MO — $45,500 Sumter, SC — $45,500 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL — $45,530 Jackson, MI — $45,540 Johnson City, TN — $45,540 Morristown, TN — $45,550 Lima, OH — $45,570 Kankakee, IL — $45,610 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ — $45,620 Springfield, OH — $45,660 Dover, DE — $45,700 Pueblo, CO — $45,710 Savannah, GA — $45,710 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC — $45,750 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA — $45,810 Midland, TX — $45,820 Gainesville, GA — $45,850 Rome, GA — $45,870 New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $45,920 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $45,920 Gettysburg, PA — $45,930 Hammond, LA — $45,950 Bowling Green, KY — $45,970 Rockford, IL — $45,970 Sherman-Denison, TX — $46,040 Clarksville, TN-KY — $46,050 Saginaw, MI — $46,050 Wildwood-The Villages, FL — $46,120 Niles, MI — $46,170 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL — $46,180 Chambersburg, PA — $46,200 State College, PA — $46,210 Oklahoma City, OK — $46,250 Sandusky, OH — $46,260 Winchester, VA-WV — $46,310 Kahului-Wailuku, HI — $46,320 Monroe, MI — $46,320 Gainesville, FL — $46,340 Grand Junction, CO — $46,350 Chattanooga, TN-GA — $46,360 Great Falls, MT — $46,360 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL — $46,370 Bloomington, IL — $46,390 Elizabethtown, KY — $46,410 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL — $46,420 Port St. Lucie, FL — $46,420 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL — $46,430 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI — $46,440 Terre Haute, IN — $46,450 Cheyenne, WY — $46,470 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA — $46,480 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $46,480 Tulsa, OK — $46,510 Missoula, MT — $46,550 York-Hanover, PA — $46,550 Utica-Rome, NY — $46,560 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI — $46,570 Toledo, OH — $46,580 Jackson, TN — $46,590 Williamsport, PA — $46,620 Visalia, CA — $46,630 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL — $46,670 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $46,670 Yakima, WA — $46,670 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV — $46,690 Lebanon, PA — $46,740 Wausau, WI — $46,740 Paducah, KY-IL — $46,750 Topeka, KS — $46,780 Knoxville, TN — $46,790 Columbia, SC — $46,800 Spartanburg, SC — $46,840 Eau Claire, WI — $46,850 Salisbury, MD — $46,850 Helena, MT — $46,870 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $46,890 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $46,890 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $46,900 Grand Island, NE — $46,910 Jackson, MS — $46,910 Traverse City, MI — $46,910 Columbia, MO — $46,920 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI — $46,920 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR — $47,050 Glens Falls, NY — $47,070 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ — $47,070 Champaign-Urbana, IL — $47,120 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC — $47,120 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $47,140 Reading, PA — $47,160 Santa Fe, NM — $47,160 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL — $47,180 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN — $47,180 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $47,210 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA — $47,220 Appleton, WI — $47,240 Boise City, ID — $47,250 Columbus, IN — $47,260 Greeley, CO — $47,270 Peoria, IL — $47,280 Kenosha, WI — $47,310 Lancaster, PA — $47,310 Lewiston, ID-WA — $47,360 Syracuse, NY — $47,370 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL — $47,400 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL — $47,410 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $47,420 Longview-Kelso, WA — $47,500 Tucson, AZ — $47,510 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ — $47,520 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $47,540 Billings, MT — $47,550 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $47,570 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $47,590 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY — $47,610 Pittsburgh, PA — $47,690 Coeur d'Alene, ID — $47,710 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC — $47,730 Janesville-Beloit, WI — $47,750 Richmond, VA — $47,760 Sheboygan, WI — $47,760 Decatur, IL — $47,770 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI — $47,770 Cleveland, OH — $47,800 Dubuque, IA — $47,850 Rapid City, SD — $47,850 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $47,860 Kingston, NY — $47,940 Jacksonville, NC — $47,970 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA — $47,970 Casper, WY — $48,000 Evansville, IN — $48,000 Omaha, NE-IA — $48,020 Lexington Park, MD — $48,030 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO — $48,080 Bakersfield-Delano, CA — $48,100 St. Louis, MO-IL — $48,120 Bloomington, IN — $48,170 Chico, CA — $48,170 Ithaca, NY — $48,170 Kansas City, MO-KS — $48,190 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL — $48,190 Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $48,200 Goldsboro, NC — $48,210 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $48,220 Akron, OH — $48,230 Colorado Springs, CO — $48,290 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA — $48,300 Cedar Rapids, IA — $48,310 Flint, MI — $48,360 Kokomo, IN — $48,360 Midland, MI — $48,360 Reno, NV — $48,400 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $48,410 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $48,430 Lincoln, NE — $48,440 Redding, CA — $48,490 Rocky Mount, NC — $48,490 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $48,500 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA — $48,500 Merced, CA — $48,520 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $48,540 Carson City, NV — $48,590 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD — $48,590 Fort Wayne, IN — $48,670 Lexington-Fayette, KY — $48,690 Green Bay, WI — $48,700 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH — $48,710 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC — $48,720 Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN — $48,730 Columbus, OH — $48,760 Rochester, NY — $48,780 Vineland, NJ — $48,790 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ — $48,810 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA — $48,890 Sioux Falls, SD-MN — $48,890 Flagstaff, AZ — $48,900 Michigan City-La Porte, IN — $48,920 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $48,950 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $48,970 Charleston-North Charleston, SC — $49,040 Stockton-Lodi, CA — $49,090 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $49,100 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY — $49,120 Ames, IA — $49,140 Bangor, ME — $49,160 Bozeman, MT — $49,160 Iowa City, IA — $49,230 Greenville, NC — $49,420 Elmira, NY — $49,450 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $49,460 Fond du Lac, WI — $49,470 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $49,490 Fayetteville, NC — $49,520 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA — $49,530 Kennewick-Richland, WA — $49,540 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $49,570 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $49,590 Springfield, MA — $49,690 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $49,760 Walla Walla, WA — $49,790 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA — $49,800 Greensboro-High Point, NC — $49,800 Bellingham, WA — $49,830 Waterbury-Shelton, CT — $49,900 Madison, WI — $49,930 Hanford-Corcoran, CA — $49,980 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA — $50,020 Yuba City, CA — $50,030 Fresno, CA — $50,040 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $50,060 Winston-Salem, NC — $50,060 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $50,110 Burlington, NC — $50,140 Modesto, CA — $50,170 Jacksonville, FL — $50,270 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $50,490 Worcester, MA — $50,720 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $50,980 Punta Gorda, FL — $51,020 Wilmington, NC — $51,110 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $51,310 Pittsfield, MA — $51,470 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC — $51,670 Elkhart-Goshen, IN — $52,830 Ann Arbor, MI — $53,370 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA — $54,970 El Centro, CA — $56,050 Lansing-East Lansing, MI — $56,150 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $56,160 New Haven, CT — $56,650 Asheville, NC — $56,680 Salinas, CA — $56,790 Fairbanks-College, AK — $56,810 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT — $56,850 Fargo, ND-MN — $56,940 Corvallis, OR — $57,080 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA — $57,150 Albany, OR — $57,180 Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $57,230 Naples-Marco Island, FL — $57,260 Medford, OR — $57,300 Trenton-Princeton, NJ — $57,400 Lewiston-Auburn, ME — $57,650 Anchorage, AK — $57,710 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $57,770 Grand Forks, ND-MN — $57,770 Minot, ND — $57,770 Barnstable Town, MA — $58,080 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $58,120 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $58,160 Grants Pass, OR — $58,180 Eugene-Springfield, OR — $58,500 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $58,580 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA — $58,580 Raleigh-Cary, NC — $58,750 Boulder, CO — $58,760 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA — $58,930 Bismarck, ND — $58,960 Vallejo, CA — $59,000 Salem, OR — $59,210 Duluth, MN-WI — $59,390 Bend, OR — $59,590 Manchester-Nashua, NH — $59,700 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA — $59,890 Napa, CA — $60,270 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA — $60,590 St. Cloud, MN — $61,000 Mankato, MN — $61,010 Portland-South Portland, ME — $61,240 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $62,040 Rochester, MN — $63,450 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $64,390 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $72,370 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA — $74,600 Boston metro area Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Boston metro area has the 25th-highest published median for this occupation among the 388 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in Massachusetts Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for dental assistants, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
Boston metro areathis page
$58,160 median for Boston metro area; middle half earns $48,770 to $61,050
$58,080 median for Barnstable Town metro area; middle half earns $48,350 to $60,220
$54,970 median for Amherst Town metro area; middle half earns $48,670 to $58,120
$51,470 median for Pittsfield metro area; middle half earns $47,750 to $59,290
$50,720 median for Worcester metro area; middle half earns $48,300 to $61,110
$49,690 median for Springfield metro area; middle half earns $47,960 to $58,240
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
About this estimate These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology .