Dental Assistant Salary in West Virginia: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$36,360
Median (50th)
$37,960
75th percentile
$45,180
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in West Virginia?
The median dental assistant in West Virginia earns $37,960 a year ($18.25 an hour), which is $10,110 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Maryland ($48,620), Ohio ($47,970) and Pennsylvania ($47,930). The mean is $41,280.
That ranks 49th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in West Virginia
The middle half of West Virginia dental assistants earn $36,360 to $45,180. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $31,760, $5,370 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $52,630, $9,620 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in West Virginia
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts West Virginia's 2024 price level at 89.5 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 10.5% below the national average, and housing (index 54.2) runs 45.8% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $37,960 median is worth about $42,410 — $5,660 below the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in West Virginia
BLS counts about 1,290 dental assistant jobs in West Virginia, 0.3% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 1.836 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental assistants hold a 26% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.74).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in West Virginia
Across the 7 West Virginia metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $36,820 in Parkersburg to $44,610 in Wheeling, a spread of $7,790.
All dental roles by metro: Charleston · Huntington
Who's hiring dental assistants in West Virginia now
DentistryHires has 6 open dental assistant listings in West Virginia from 6 employers, the most of them in Hurricane (2).
3 post hourly pay, from $12 to $22 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in West Virginia
Dental assistant practice in West Virginia is regulated by the West 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 West Virginia Compares
Other dental salaries in West Virginia
- Dentist salary in West Virginia: median $170,370, $132,410 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in West Virginia: median $73,840, $35,880 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in West Virginia: median $47,740
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.