Dental Assistant Salary in New Mexico: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$38,300
Median (50th)
$44,400
75th percentile
$47,160
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in New Mexico?
The median dental assistant in New Mexico earns $44,400 a year ($21.35 an hour), which is $3,670 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Arizona ($49,000), Colorado ($48,340) and Oklahoma ($45,740). The mean is $45,130.
That ranks 44th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in New Mexico
The middle half of New Mexico dental assistants earn $38,300 to $47,160. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,060, $70 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $55,950, $6,300 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in New Mexico
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts New Mexico's 2024 price level at 92.2 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 7.8% below the national average, and housing (index 73.6) runs 26.4% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $44,400 median is worth about $48,150 — $80 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in New Mexico
BLS counts about 2,150 dental assistant jobs in New Mexico, 0.6% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.466 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold about the same share of local jobs as nationally (location quotient 0.99).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in New Mexico
Across the 4 New Mexico metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $38,400 in Las Cruces to $47,160 in Santa Fe, a spread of $8,760.
All dental roles by metro: Albuquerque · Las Cruces · Santa Fe
Who's hiring dental assistants in New Mexico now
DentistryHires has 32 open dental assistant listings in New Mexico from 19 employers, the most of them in Albuquerque (19).
22 post hourly pay, from $15 to $32 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in New Mexico
Dental assistant practice in New Mexico is regulated by the New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care.
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 Mexico Compares
Other dental salaries in New Mexico
- Dentist salary in New Mexico: median $155,260, $110,860 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in New Mexico: median $95,940, $51,540 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in New Mexico: median $45,300, $900 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.