Dental Assistant Salary in South Dakota: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$47,060
Median (50th)
$47,900
75th percentile
$57,890
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in South Dakota?
The median dental assistant in South Dakota earns $47,900 a year ($23.03 an hour), which is $170 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Minnesota ($65,270), North Dakota ($57,770) and Iowa ($48,430). The mean is $50,170.
That ranks 26th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in South Dakota
The middle half of South Dakota dental assistants earn $47,060 to $57,890. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $38,190, $1,060 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $60,310, $1,940 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in South Dakota
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts South Dakota's 2024 price level at 88.6 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 11.4% below the national average, and housing (index 67.6) runs 32.4% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,900 median is worth about $54,070 — $6,000 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in South Dakota
BLS counts about 1,290 dental assistant jobs in South Dakota, 0.3% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.829 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 13% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.13).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in South Dakota
Across the 2 South Dakota metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $47,850 in Rapid City to $48,890 in Sioux Falls, a spread of $1,040.
All dental roles by metro: Rapid City
Who's hiring dental assistants in South Dakota now
DentistryHires has 1 open dental assistant listing in South Dakota from 1 employer, in Rapid City.
1 posts hourly pay, from $20 to $30 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in South Dakota
Dental assistant practice in South Dakota is regulated by the South Dakota 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 South Dakota Compares
Other dental salaries in South Dakota
- Dentist salary in South Dakota: median $158,140, $110,240 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in South Dakota: median $92,210, $44,310 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in South Dakota: median $48,370, $470 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.