Dental Assistant Salary in Tennessee: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$44,440
Median (50th)
$46,720
75th percentile
$59,270
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Tennessee?
The median dental assistant in Tennessee earns $46,720 a year ($22.46 an hour), which is $1,350 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby North Carolina ($50,380), Kentucky ($47,730) and Georgia ($46,840). The mean is $49,670.
That ranks 34th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Tennessee
The middle half of Tennessee dental assistants earn $44,440 to $59,270. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,810, $680 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $61,260, $990 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Tennessee
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Tennessee's 2024 price level at 91.9 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 8.1% below the national average, and housing (index 79.1) runs 20.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $46,720 median is worth about $50,850 — $2,780 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Tennessee
BLS counts about 7,420 dental assistant jobs in Tennessee, 1.9% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.263 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 9% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.91).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Tennessee
Across the 10 Tennessee metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,110 in Kingsport to $48,540 in Nashville, a spread of $3,430.
All dental roles by metro: Chattanooga · Johnson City · Kingsport · Knoxville · Memphis · Nashville
Who's hiring dental assistants in Tennessee now
DentistryHires has 82 open dental assistant listings in Tennessee from 28 employers, the most of them in Franklin (11).
43 post hourly pay, from $16 to $34 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Tennessee
Dental assistant practice in Tennessee is regulated by the Tennessee 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 Tennessee Compares
North Carolina
$50,380
+5% vs. national
North Carolina salary →
Kentucky
$47,730
-1% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Georgia
$46,840
-3% vs. national
Georgia salary →
Virginia
$46,670
-3% vs. national
Virginia salary →
Missouri
$45,970
-4% vs. national
Missouri salary →
Arkansas
$42,830
-11% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
Mississippi
$39,160
-19% vs. national
Mississippi salary →
Alabama
$39,080
-19% vs. national
Alabama salary →
Other dental salaries in Tennessee
- Dentist salary in Tennessee: median $215,290, $168,570 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Tennessee: median $84,640, $37,920 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Tennessee: median $48,880, $2,160 above the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Tennessee: median $339,610
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.