Dental Assistant Salary in California: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$46,270
Median (50th)
$50,110
75th percentile
$60,670
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in California?
The median dental assistant in California earns $50,110 a year ($24.09 an hour), which is $2,040 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Arizona ($49,000) and Nevada ($47,110) but less than in Oregon ($59,490). The mean is $54,710.
That ranks 14th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in California
The middle half of California dental assistants earn $46,270 to $60,670. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $38,790, $1,660 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $73,700, $11,450 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in California
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts California's 2024 price level at 110.7 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 10.7% above the national average, and housing (index 154.3) runs 54.3% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $50,110 median is worth about $45,260 â $2,810 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in California
BLS counts about 56,220 dental assistant jobs in California, 14.5% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 3.087 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 24% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.24).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in California
Across the 25 California metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $46,630 in Visalia to $74,600 in San Jose, a spread of $27,970.
All dental roles by metro: Fresno ¡ Hanford ¡ Los Angeles ¡ Merced ¡ Modesto ¡ Oxnard ¡ Redding ¡ Riverside ¡ Sacramento ¡ San Francisco ¡ San Jose ¡ Santa Cruz ¡ Stockton ¡ Vallejo ¡ Yuba City
Who's hiring dental assistants in California now
DentistryHires has 638 open dental assistant listings in California from 203 employers, the most of them in San Diego (28).
545 post hourly pay, from $17 to $50 an hour; 7 post a salary from $34,000 to $71,280 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in California
Dental assistant practice in California is regulated by the Dental Board of California.
Scope of practice â what a dental assistant may do, and under what level of supervision â is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How California Compares
Other dental salaries in California
- Dentist salary in California: median $165,950, $115,840 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in California: median $124,930, $74,820 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in California: median $47,410, $2,700 below the dental assistant median
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.