Dental Assistant Salary in Massachusetts: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Massachusetts dental assistant listings
$27/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $25.50–$29.50/hr, from 66 distinct pay ranges at 51 employers (Pacific Dental Services, 42 North Dental, Cambridge Pediatric Dental Associates).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$48,600
Median (50th)
$57,980
75th percentile
$60,720
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Massachusetts?
The median dental assistant in Massachusetts earns $57,980 a year ($27.88 an hour), which is $9,910 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Connecticut ($56,850) and Vermont ($52,760) but less than in New Hampshire ($59,530).
The mean is $56,640.
That ranks 7th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Massachusetts
The middle half of Massachusetts dental assistants earn $48,600 to $60,720.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $47,270, $10,140 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $72,790, $10,540 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Massachusetts
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Massachusetts's 2024 price level at 105.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 5.8% above the national average, and housing (index 128.1) runs 28.1% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $57,980 median is worth about $54,820 — $6,750 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Massachusetts
BLS counts about 9,680 dental assistant jobs in Massachusetts, 2.5% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.66 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental assistants hold a 7% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.07).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Massachusetts
Across the 6 Massachusetts metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $49,690 in Springfield to $58,160 in Boston, a spread of $8,470.
All dental roles by metro: Amherst Town · Barnstable Town · Boston · Worcester
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in Massachusetts Show Right Now
From the 86 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Pacific Dental Services14
- Passion Dental4
- Chestnut Dental3
- 42 North Dental2
- Affinity Dental Management2
- Cambridge Pediatric Dental Associates2
Pay employers post
- Median $27 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $25.50–$29.50 (75 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 87% of dental assistant listings in Massachusetts state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 74%
- 401(k) plannamed in 71%
- Health insurancenamed in 70%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 52%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 34%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 28%
- Training providednamed in 14%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 13%
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 86 jobs →Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Massachusetts
Dental assistant practice in Massachusetts is regulated by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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 Massachusetts Compares
Other dental salaries in Massachusetts
- Dentist salary in Massachusetts: median $181,600
- Dental Hygienist salary in Massachusetts: median $100,640, $42,660 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Massachusetts: median $72,800, $14,820 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.