Dental Assistant Salary in Alabama: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$36,190
Median (50th)
$39,080
75th percentile
$47,100
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Alabama?
The median dental assistant in Alabama earns $39,080 a year ($18.79 an hour), which is $8,990 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Florida ($47,620), Georgia ($46,840) and Tennessee ($46,720). The mean is $41,710.
That ranks 48th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Alabama
The middle half of Alabama dental assistants earn $36,190 to $47,100. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $30,840, $6,290 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $51,400, $10,850 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Alabama
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Alabama's 2024 price level at 88.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 11.2% below the national average, and housing (index 61.8) runs 38.2% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $39,080 median is worth about $44,000 — $4,070 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Alabama
BLS counts about 3,740 dental assistant jobs in Alabama, 1.0% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 1.769 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 29% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.71).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Alabama
Across the 12 Alabama metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $35,690 in Gadsden to $43,930 in Huntsville, a spread of $8,240.
All dental roles by metro: Auburn · Birmingham · Daphne · Dothan · Florence · Huntsville · Mobile
Who's hiring dental assistants in Alabama now
DentistryHires has 19 open dental assistant listings in Alabama from 13 employers, the most of them in Birmingham (4).
8 post hourly pay, from $10 to $21 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Alabama
Dental assistant practice in Alabama is regulated by the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama.
Scope of practice — what a dental assistant may do, and under what level of supervision — is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How Alabama Compares
Other dental salaries in Alabama
- Dental Hygienist salary in Alabama: median $61,160, $22,080 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Alabama: median $45,760, $6,680 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Alabama: median $253,670
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates, all industries); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Price-adjusted pay divides the median by the price level. Listing counts and posted pay are live DentistryHires listings, refreshed hourly. A dash means BLS did not publish that figure; nothing is estimated.