Dental Assistant Salary in Illinois: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Illinois dental assistant listings
$23/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $21.50–$24.50/hr, from 46 distinct pay ranges at 38 employers (Heartland Dental, Orthodontic Experts, Western Dental / Sonrava Health).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$40,390
Median (50th)
$48,610
75th percentile
$56,860
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Illinois?
The median dental assistant in Illinois earns $48,610 a year ($23.37 an hour), which is $540 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Iowa ($48,430) and Kentucky ($47,730) but less than in Indiana ($48,670).
The mean is $48,990.
That ranks 20th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Illinois
The middle half of Illinois dental assistants earn $40,390 to $56,860.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,360, $230 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $59,910, $2,340 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Illinois
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Illinois's 2024 price level at 100.0 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run level with the national average, and housing (index 93.9) runs 6.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $48,610 median is worth about $48,630 — $560 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Illinois
BLS counts about 13,740 dental assistant jobs in Illinois, 3.5% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.252 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental assistants hold a 10% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.90).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Illinois
Across the 8 Illinois metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,390 in Springfield to $48,950 in Chicago, a spread of $3,560.
All dental roles by metro: Bloomington · Champaign · Chicago · Kankakee · Peoria · Rockford · Springfield
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in Illinois Show Right Now
From the 95 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Heartland Dental22
- Orthodontic Experts15
- Smile Brands5
- Western Dental / Sonrava Health4
- Elite Dental Partners3
- American Dental Associates2
Pay employers post
- Median $22 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $22–$24 (78 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 82% of dental assistant listings in Illinois state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 86%
- Health insurancenamed in 80%
- 401(k) plannamed in 59%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 53%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 46%
- Training providednamed in 26%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 22%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 18%
Source: active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 95 jobs →Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Illinois
Dental assistant practice in Illinois is regulated by the Illinois 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 Illinois Compares
Other dental salaries in Illinois
- Dentist salary in Illinois: median $156,110, $107,500 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Illinois: median $96,670, $48,060 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Illinois: median $51,380, $2,770 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Illinois: median $343,100
- Oral Surgeon salary in Illinois: median $70,220
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.