Dental Assistant Salary in Kentucky: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$42,400
Median (50th)
$47,730
75th percentile
$56,760
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Kentucky?
The median dental assistant in Kentucky earns $47,730 a year ($22.95 an hour), which is $340 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Indiana ($48,670), Illinois ($48,610) and Ohio ($47,970). The mean is $48,440.
That ranks 27th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Kentucky
The middle half of Kentucky dental assistants earn $42,400 to $56,760. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $35,600, $1,530 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $62,050, $200 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Kentucky
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Kentucky's 2024 price level at 90.2 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.8% below the national average, and housing (index 64.3) runs 35.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,730 median is worth about $52,940 — $4,870 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Kentucky
BLS counts about 4,530 dental assistant jobs in Kentucky, 1.2% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.264 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 9% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.91).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Kentucky
Across the 6 Kentucky metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,330 in Owensboro to $49,100 in Louisville/Jefferson County, a spread of $3,770.
All dental roles by metro: Lexington · Louisville/Jefferson County
Who's hiring dental assistants in Kentucky now
DentistryHires has 29 open dental assistant listings in Kentucky from 17 employers, the most of them in Louisville (15).
10 post hourly pay, from $15 to $45 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Kentucky
Dental assistant practice in Kentucky is regulated by the Kentucky 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 Kentucky Compares
Indiana
$48,670
+1% vs. national
Indiana salary →
Illinois
$48,610
+1% vs. national
Illinois salary →
Ohio
$47,970
0% vs. national
Ohio salary →
Tennessee
$46,720
-3% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
Virginia
$46,670
-3% vs. national
Virginia salary →
Missouri
$45,970
-4% vs. national
Missouri salary →
West Virginia
$37,960
-21% vs. national
West Virginia salary →
Other dental salaries in Kentucky
- Dentist salary in Kentucky: median $134,160, $86,430 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Kentucky: median $78,830, $31,100 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Kentucky: median $46,770, $960 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.