Dental Assistant Salary in Idaho: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$39,800
Median (50th)
$45,880
75th percentile
$57,690
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Idaho?
The median dental assistant in Idaho earns $45,880 a year ($22.06 an hour), which is $2,190 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Oregon ($59,490), Washington ($58,090) and Nevada ($47,110). The mean is $47,250.
That ranks 39th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Idaho
The middle half of Idaho dental assistants earn $39,800 to $57,690. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,430, $300 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $59,740, $2,510 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Idaho
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Idaho's 2024 price level at 95.5 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 4.5% below the national average, and housing (index 90.0) runs 10.0% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $45,880 median is worth about $48,040 — $30 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Idaho
BLS counts about 2,680 dental assistant jobs in Idaho, 0.7% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 3.12 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 25% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.25).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Idaho
Across the 6 Idaho metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $44,610 in Twin Falls to $47,710 in Coeur d'Alene, a spread of $3,100.
All dental roles by metro: Boise City · Coeur d'Alene · Idaho Falls
Who's hiring dental assistants in Idaho now
DentistryHires has 22 open dental assistant listings in Idaho from 15 employers, the most of them in Boise (10).
15 post hourly pay, from $12 to $33 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Idaho
Dental assistant practice in Idaho is regulated by the Idaho State Board of Dentistry.
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 Idaho Compares
Other dental salaries in Idaho
- Dentist salary in Idaho: median $124,190, $78,310 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Idaho: median $94,650, $48,770 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Idaho: median $47,380, $1,500 above 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.