Dental Assistants · SOC 31-9091
Dental Assistants Salary in the Iowa
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Iowa
Figures describe the state of Iowa as a whole.
Dental Assistants in the Iowa earned a median of $48,430 per year ($23.28 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $39,360 at the 10th percentile to $59,580 at the 90th. BLS estimates 3,210 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Dental Assistants in the Iowa earn more than $48,430 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $45,990 and $57,620.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $39,360 | $45,990 | $48,430 | $57,620 | $59,580 |
| Hourly | $18.92 | $22.11 | $23.28 | $27.70 | $28.65 |
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
- Iowa$48,430 median for Iowa; middle half earns $45,990 to $57,620
- United Statesnational$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 +1% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in Iowa
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for dental assistants, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Iowathis page$48,430 median for Iowa; middle half earns $45,990 to $57,620
- $50,020 median for Des Moines metro area; middle half earns $47,840 to $57,850
- $49,230 median for Iowa City metro area; middle half earns $47,910 to $58,070
- $49,140 median for Ames metro area; middle half earns $47,650 to $58,640
- $48,590 median for Sioux City metro area; middle half earns $46,940 to $58,140
- $48,310 median for Cedar Rapids metro area; middle half earns $47,220 to $57,600
- $47,970 median for Waterloo metro area; middle half earns $46,840 to $57,520
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for dental assistantss · Highest-paying occupations in Iowa
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.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.