Dental Assistant Salary in New Jersey: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in New Jersey dental assistant listings
$28/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $24–$30/hr, from 36 distinct pay ranges at 34 employers (Smiles by Lorino, South Jersey Smiles, Abra Health).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
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
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in New Jersey Show Right Now
From the 54 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Dental3654
- Chord Specialty Dental Partners2
- Nuva Smile2
- Rutgers University2
- Smiles by Lorino2
- South Jersey Smiles2
Pay employers post
- Median $28 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $24–$30 (36 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 69% of dental assistant listings in New Jersey state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 65%
- Health insurancenamed in 54%
- 401(k) plannamed in 50%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 41%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 22%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 20%
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 54 jobs →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.