Dental Assistant Salary in Missouri: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$38,990
Median (50th)
$45,970
75th percentile
$50,150
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Missouri?
The median dental assistant in Missouri earns $45,970 a year ($22.10 an hour), which is $2,100 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Illinois ($48,610), Iowa ($48,430) and Kentucky ($47,730). The mean is $46,790.
That ranks 38th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Missouri
The middle half of Missouri dental assistants earn $38,990 to $50,150. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $36,580, $550 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $59,410, $2,840 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Missouri
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Missouri's 2024 price level at 90.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.2% below the national average, and housing (index 69.9) runs 30.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $45,970 median is worth about $50,620 — $2,550 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Missouri
BLS counts about 6,760 dental assistant jobs in Missouri, 1.7% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.303 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold an 8% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.92).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Missouri
Across the 8 Missouri metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $43,010 in Joplin to $48,190 in Kansas City, a spread of $5,180.
All dental roles by metro: Columbia · Jefferson City · Joplin · Kansas City · St. Joseph · St. Louis
Who's hiring dental assistants in Missouri now
DentistryHires has 87 open dental assistant listings in Missouri from 27 employers, the most of them in St. Louis (8).
32 post hourly pay, from $16 to $31 an hour; 3 post a salary from $27,500 to $42,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Missouri
Dental assistant practice in Missouri is regulated by the Missouri Dental Board.
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 Missouri Compares
Illinois
$48,610
+1% vs. national
Illinois salary →
Iowa
$48,430
+1% vs. national
Iowa salary →
Kentucky
$47,730
-1% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Tennessee
$46,720
-3% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
Nebraska
$46,660
-3% vs. national
Nebraska salary →
Oklahoma
$45,740
-5% vs. national
Oklahoma salary →
Arkansas
$42,830
-11% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
Other dental salaries in Missouri
- Dentist salary in Missouri: median $204,960, $158,990 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Missouri: median $92,750, $46,780 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Missouri: median $46,870, $900 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Missouri: median $332,630
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.