Dental Assistant Salary in Indiana: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Indiana dental assistant listings
$25/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $22.50–$28.50/hr, from 24 distinct pay ranges at 23 employers (Orthodontic Experts, ADVANCED DENTAL CONCEPTS, Advanced Oral Surgery).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$45,860
Median (50th)
$48,670
75th percentile
$57,720
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Indiana?
The median dental assistant in Indiana earns $48,670 a year ($23.40 an hour), which is $600 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Illinois ($48,610) and Ohio ($47,970) but less than in Michigan ($48,820).
The mean is $50,480.
That ranks 18th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Indiana
The middle half of Indiana dental assistants earn $45,860 to $57,720.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $36,880, $250 below the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $60,590, $1,660 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Indiana
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Indiana's 2024 price level at 93.3 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 6.7% below the national average, and housing (index 73.9) runs 26.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $48,670 median is worth about $52,150 — $4,080 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Indiana
BLS counts about 6,690 dental assistant jobs in Indiana, 1.7% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.089 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental assistants hold a 16% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.84).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Indiana
Across the 12 Indiana metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,500 in Muncie to $52,830 in Elkhart, a spread of $7,330.
All dental roles by metro: Elkhart · Evansville · Fort Wayne · Indianapolis · Kokomo · Muncie · South Bend
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in Indiana Show Right Now
From the 50 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Heartland Dental16
- Orthodontic Experts3
- Mortenson Dental Partners2
Pay employers post
- Median $25 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $22.50–$28.50 (25 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 50% of dental assistant listings in Indiana state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 92%
- 401(k) plannamed in 70%
- Health insurancenamed in 70%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 66%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 56%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 46%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 38%
- Training providednamed in 20%
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 50 jobs →Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Indiana
Dental assistant practice in Indiana is regulated by the Indiana 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 Indiana Compares
Other dental salaries in Indiana
- Dentist salary in Indiana: median $166,650, $117,980 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Indiana: median $92,330, $43,660 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Indiana: median $49,920, $1,250 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.