Dental Assistant Salary in Virginia: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$39,160
Median (50th)
$46,670
75th percentile
$53,040
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Virginia?
The median dental assistant in Virginia earns $46,670 a year ($22.44 an hour), which is $1,400 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby District of Columbia ($60,580), North Carolina ($50,380) and Maryland ($48,620). The mean is $47,490.
That ranks 36th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Virginia
The middle half of Virginia dental assistants earn $39,160 to $53,040. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $37,720, $590 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $58,910, $3,340 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Virginia
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Virginia's 2024 price level at 101.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 1.1% above the national average, and housing (index 106.8) runs 6.8% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $46,670 median is worth about $46,160 — $1,910 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Virginia
BLS counts about 10,760 dental assistant jobs in Virginia, 2.8% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.619 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 5% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.05).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Virginia
Across the 9 Virginia metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,040 in Charlottesville to $47,760 in Richmond, a spread of $2,720.
All dental roles by metro: Harrisonburg · Staunton · Virginia Beach
Who's hiring dental assistants in Virginia now
DentistryHires has 148 open dental assistant listings in Virginia from 77 employers, the most of them in Richmond (8).
117 post hourly pay, from $13 to $37 an hour; 2 post a salary from $46,084 to $59,908 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Virginia
Dental assistant practice in Virginia is regulated by the Virginia 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 Virginia Compares
District of Columbia
$60,580
+26% vs. national
District of Columbia salary →
North Carolina
$50,380
+5% vs. national
North Carolina salary →
Maryland
$48,620
+1% vs. national
Maryland salary →
Kentucky
$47,730
-1% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Tennessee
$46,720
-3% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
West Virginia
$37,960
-21% vs. national
West Virginia salary →
Other dental salaries in Virginia
- Dentist salary in Virginia: median $197,110, $150,440 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Virginia: median $102,950, $56,280 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Virginia: median $51,900, $5,230 above the dental assistant median
- Oral Surgeon salary in Virginia: median $403,430
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.