Dental Assistant Salary in Pennsylvania: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$45,620
Median (50th)
$47,930
75th percentile
$56,840
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Pennsylvania?
The median dental assistant in Pennsylvania earns $47,930 a year ($23.05 an hour), which is $140 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby New Jersey ($49,390), Maryland ($48,620) and New York ($48,110). The mean is $50,130.
That ranks 25th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Pennsylvania
The middle half of Pennsylvania dental assistants earn $45,620 to $56,840. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $38,040, $910 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $61,430, $820 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Pennsylvania
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Pennsylvania's 2024 price level at 97.6 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 2.4% below the national average, and housing (index 85.1) runs 14.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,930 median is worth about $49,120 — $1,050 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Pennsylvania
BLS counts about 12,080 dental assistant jobs in Pennsylvania, 3.1% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 1.992 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 Pennsylvania
Across the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $43,370 in Johnstown to $49,570 in Philadelphia, a spread of $6,200.
All dental roles by metro: Allentown · Altoona · Chambersburg · Erie · Harrisburg · Johnstown · Philadelphia · Pittsburgh · Reading · State College · Williamsport · York
Who's hiring dental assistants in Pennsylvania now
DentistryHires has 110 open dental assistant listings in Pennsylvania from 44 employers, the most of them in Greensburg (6).
57 post hourly pay, from $16 to $45 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $38,000 to $42,500 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Pennsylvania
Dental assistant practice in Pennsylvania is regulated by the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Compares
Other dental salaries in Pennsylvania
- Dentist salary in Pennsylvania: median $163,390, $115,460 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Pennsylvania: median $80,610, $32,680 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Pennsylvania: median $49,280, $1,350 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Pennsylvania: median $311,180
- Oral Surgeon salary in Pennsylvania: median $553,740
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.