Dental Assistant Salary in North Dakota: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$47,150
Median (50th)
$57,770
75th percentile
$60,270
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in North Dakota?
The median dental assistant in North Dakota earns $57,770 a year ($27.78 an hour), which is $9,700 above the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby South Dakota ($47,900) and Montana ($46,680) but less than in Minnesota ($65,270). The mean is $56,450.
That ranks 8th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in North Dakota
The middle half of North Dakota dental assistants earn $47,150 to $60,270. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $43,680, $6,550 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $72,710, $10,460 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in North Dakota
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts North Dakota's 2024 price level at 89.0 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 11.0% below the national average, and housing (index 71.4) runs 28.6% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $57,770 median is worth about $64,940 — $16,870 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in North Dakota
BLS counts about 860 dental assistant jobs in North Dakota, 0.2% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 1.996 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 20% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.80).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in North Dakota
Across the 4 North Dakota metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $56,940 in Fargo to $58,960 in Bismarck, a spread of $2,020.
All dental roles by metro: Fargo
Who's hiring dental assistants in North Dakota now
DentistryHires has 2 open dental assistant listings in North Dakota from 2 employers, one each in Grand Forks and Williston. None of them posts a pay figure.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in North Dakota
Dental assistant practice in North Dakota is regulated by the North Dakota Board of Dental Examiners.
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 North Dakota Compares
Other dental salaries in North Dakota
- Dentist salary in North Dakota: median $220,660, $162,890 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in North Dakota: median $90,530, $32,760 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in North Dakota: median $67,580, $9,810 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.