Dental assistants
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Dental assistants in the United States earn a median salary of $48,070 per year — about $23 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 382K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +6%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core of the job involves physical, hands-on tasks such as sterilizing instruments, assisting in surgeries, and providing direct patient care that requires human presence and manual dexterity. While AI can significantly automate the administrative and digital aspects of the role—such as scheduling, billing, and preliminary X-ray analysis—the majority of the workday is spent in the physical dental operatory where AI cannot currently replace human labor.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MNBEST VALUE | $63,450 | Below avg (90.8) | $69,863 |
| St. Cloud, MN | $61,000 | Below avg (87.6) | $69,609 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $72,370 | Above avg (104.8) | $69,041 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $74,600 | Above avg (110.4) | $67,558 |
| Mankato, MN | $61,010 | Below avg (91.0) | $67,077 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | $59,390 | Below avg (88.8) | $66,905 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN | $57,770 | Below avg (86.7) | $66,661 |
| Minot, ND | $57,770 | Below avg (87.0) | $66,381 |
| Bismarck, ND | $58,960 | Below avg (91.0) | $64,774 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | $56,940 | Below avg (90.9) | $62,660 |
| Lewiston-Auburn, ME | $57,650 | Below avg (94.7) | $60,853 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $61,240 | Average (101.9) | $60,123 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $58,750 | Average (98.2) | $59,853 |
| Grants Pass, OR | $58,180 | Average (97.8) | $59,513 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $56,150 | Below avg (95.0) | $59,111 |