Dental Assistant Salary in Ohio: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$42,660
Median (50th)
$47,970
75th percentile
$59,520
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Ohio?
The median dental assistant in Ohio earns $47,970 a year ($23.06 an hour), which is $100 below the national median of $48,070, and more than in nearby Pennsylvania ($47,930) but less than in Michigan ($48,820) and Indiana ($48,670). The mean is $52,370.
That ranks 24th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Ohio
The middle half of Ohio dental assistants earn $42,660 to $59,520. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $36,870, $260 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $78,000, $15,750 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Ohio
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Ohio's 2024 price level at 92.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 7.2% below the national average, and housing (index 73.0) runs 27.0% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,970 median is worth about $51,710 — $3,640 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Ohio
BLS counts about 12,150 dental assistant jobs in Ohio, 3.1% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.19 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 12% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.88).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Ohio
Across the 12 Ohio metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $43,800 in Youngstown to $49,590 in Cincinnati, a spread of $5,790.
All dental roles by metro: Akron · Canton · Cincinnati · Cleveland · Dayton · Mansfield · Youngstown
Who's hiring dental assistants in Ohio now
DentistryHires has 135 open dental assistant listings in Ohio from 58 employers, led by Cincinnati and Columbus (9 each).
55 post hourly pay, from $13 to $45 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Ohio
Dental assistant practice in Ohio is regulated by the Ohio State 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 Ohio Compares
Other dental salaries in Ohio
- Dentist salary in Ohio: median $167,410, $119,440 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Ohio: median $88,990, $41,020 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Ohio: median $48,480, $510 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Ohio: median $219,300
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.