Dental Assistant Salary in Michigan: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$45,390
Median (50th)
$48,820
75th percentile
$56,940
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Michigan?
The median dental assistant in Michigan earns $48,820 a year ($23.47 an hour), which is $750 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Indiana ($48,670), Ohio ($47,970) and Wisconsin ($47,520). The mean is $49,650.
That ranks 17th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Michigan
The middle half of Michigan dental assistants earn $45,390 to $56,940. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,110, $20 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $58,900, $3,350 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Michigan
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Michigan's 2024 price level at 96.2 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 3.8% below the national average, and housing (index 82.3) runs 17.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $48,820 median is worth about $50,740 — $2,670 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Michigan
BLS counts about 11,990 dental assistant jobs in Michigan, 3.1% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.723 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 9% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.09).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Michigan
Across the 15 Michigan metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $44,860 in Battle Creek to $56,150 in Lansing, a spread of $11,290.
All dental roles by metro: Ann Arbor · Battle Creek · Detroit · Flint · Grand Rapids · Kalamazoo · Lansing · Midland · Muskegon · Niles · Saginaw
Who's hiring dental assistants in Michigan now
DentistryHires has 76 open dental assistant listings in Michigan from 52 employers, led by Detroit, Grand Rapids and Rochester (4 each).
37 post hourly pay, from $16 to $35 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $45,409 to $59,031 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Michigan
Dental assistant practice in Michigan is regulated by the Michigan 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 Michigan Compares
Other dental salaries in Michigan
- Dentist salary in Michigan: median $169,930, $121,110 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Michigan: median $83,790, $34,970 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Michigan: median $49,570, $750 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Michigan: median $357,090
- Oral Surgeon salary in Michigan: median $97,040
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.