Are you just starting out as a dental assistant? As an entry level dental assistant, you’ll probably want to know what kind of salary you might expect.

We're going to share a few strategies you can use to get an idea of what your starting pay might look like.

We also have some ways to help you make more money when you're just getting started with assisting. 

A great place to start getting an idea of dental assistant salaires is by…

Asking Other Assistants

Asking other assistants in your area about their pay will help you understand what to expect. One redditor asked if $15 per hour is normal for a dental assistant with zero experience.

The responses varied, but overall, most assistants on the Reddit thread shared that minimum wage was a pretty common starting pay for dental assistants with no experience.

One Redditor shared: “I don’t really know any DA that can support themselves alone financially.”

Another shared that many entry-level jobs had no benefits or retirement.

That’s not very uplifting, but maybe that’s why some go from dental assistant to dental hygienist.

Another strategy was that you should decide what you’re worth and stick to that amount until an office will pay you that. It’s unclear whether this strategy actually works, so if you have any insights there, let us know.

One Redditor suggested that you use your entry-level assisting job as an opportunity to “learn as much as you can and beef up your resume!”

We agree with that advice.

Average Hourly Pay for Dental Assistants

Knowing the national average for dental assistant hourly pay is a good marker to understand how your pay is in comparison.

$20 per hour is the national average.

This gives us a good marker for comparison.

We could also look at dental assistant salaries information, like we include on our site.

But remember, pay is dependent on location, so let’s take a look at that next.

Assistant Starting Pay by Geo

For most states, no one expects you to make less than minimum wage. It could be possible, however, for some states don’t have minimum wage set, and the federal minimum wage only applies to certain businesses.

For the list below, in states with no minimum wage, we’ve included the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. If you make more than that for your first assistant job, then you’re probably doing pretty well. 

You might expect that entry-level assistants should be making somewhere between the minimum wage listed and the hourly rate. This provides you with a pay range for your starting pay as a dental assistant.

Dental Assistant Hourly Rate and Minimum by State

	Minimum Wage	Hourly Rate		Minimum Wage	Hourly Rate
Alabama	$7.25	$16.11	Montana	$10.30	$17.95
Alaska	$11.73	$24.63	Nebraska	$12	$20.60
Arizona	$14.35	$19.70	Nevada	$11.25	$19.18
Arkansas	$11	$17.54	New Hampshire	$7.25	$24.43
California	$16	$21.61	New Jersey	$15.13	$21.81
Colorado	$14.42	$21.12	New Mexico	$12	$17.98
Connecticut	$15.69	$21.79	New York	$15	$20.74
Delaware	$13.25	$19.18	North Carolina	$7.25	$21.37
Florida	$12	$19.79	North Dakota	$7.25	$22.79
Georgia	$5.15	$19.71	Ohio	$10.45	$20.71
Hawaii	$14	$17.56	Oklahoma	$7.25	$18.46
Idaho	$7.25	$16.98	Oregon	$14.20	$23.23
Illinois	$14	$19.61	Pennsylvania	$7.25	$19.91
Indiana	$7.25	$20.48	Rhode Island	$14	$22.38
Iowa	$7.25	$21.48	South Carolina	$7.25	$19.72
Kansas	$7.25	$19.16	South Dakota	$11.20	$19.38
Kentucky	$7.25	$18.15	Tennessee	$7.25	$18.83
Louisiana	$7.25	$16.64	Texas	$7.25	$19.08
Maine	$14.15	$21.49	Utah	$7.25	$16.76
Maryland	$15	$21.77	Vermont	$13.67	$22.02
Massachusetts	$15	$24.88	Virginia	$12	$21.48
Michigan	$10.33	$19.46	Washington	$16.28	$22.45
Minnesota	$10.85	$25.80	West Virginia	$8.75	$15.50
Mississippi	$7.25	$15.35	Wisconsin	$7.25	$19.59
Missouri	$12.30	$18.56	Wyoming	$5.15	$18.55

4 Strategies for Getting Higher Starting Pay

Almost everyone’s interested in getting paid more when they first get started in dental assisting. Here are three strategies to consider: 

1. Get your certification for radiology
2. Get your infection control certification
3. Work toward an expanded function certificate

Average Assistant Salary at Princess Dental Staffing

When you sign up with Princess Dental Staffing, you set your own rate and keep 100% of the money you earn! 

That's why our assistant have a median hourly rate of $27 per hour. Dental assistant jobs on Princess Dental staffing generally pay between $21 and $37 per hour.  So the fourth strategy is...

Highly paid assistants work on Princess Dental Staffing. Sign up today.

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