Dental Assistant Salary in New Jersey: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$45,970
Median (50th)
$49,390
75th percentile
$61,290
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in New Jersey?
The median dental assistant in New Jersey earns $49,390 a year ($23.74 an hour), which is $1,320 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby New York ($48,110), Pennsylvania ($47,930) and Delaware ($47,600). The mean is $52,940.
That ranks 15th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in New Jersey
The middle half of New Jersey dental assistants earn $45,970 to $61,290. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $38,660, $1,530 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $64,200, $1,950 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in New Jersey
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts New Jersey's 2024 price level at 108.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 8.8% above the national average, and housing (index 134.3) runs 34.3% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $49,390 median is worth about $45,390 — $2,680 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in New Jersey
BLS counts about 9,990 dental assistant jobs in New Jersey, 2.6% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.331 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 7% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.93).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in New Jersey
Across the 3 New Jersey metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $48,790 in Vineland to $57,400 in Trenton, a spread of $8,610.
All dental roles by metro: Atlantic City · Trenton · Vineland
Who's hiring dental assistants in New Jersey now
DentistryHires has 72 open dental assistant listings in New Jersey from 50 employers, the most of them in Jersey City (5).
47 post hourly pay, from $15 to $100 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in New Jersey
Dental assistant practice in New Jersey is regulated by the New Jersey 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 New Jersey Compares
Other dental salaries in New Jersey
- Dentist salary in New Jersey: median $171,330, $121,940 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in New Jersey: median $107,040, $57,650 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in New Jersey: median $47,270
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.