Dental Assistant Salary in Wisconsin: What Dental Assistants Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Wisconsin dental assistant listings
$23/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $22.50–$25/hr, from 10 distinct pay ranges at 9 employers (Orthodontic Experts, Dental Associates, My smiles).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$45,560
Median (50th)
$47,520
75th percentile
$55,630
National median
$48,070
BLS OEWS (SOC 31-9091), May 2025
What does a dental assistant make in Wisconsin?
The median dental assistant in Wisconsin earns $47,520 a year ($22.85 an hour), which is $550 below the national median of $48,070, but less than in nearby Minnesota ($65,270), Michigan ($48,820) and Illinois ($48,610).
The mean is $49,150.
That ranks 30th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental assistant median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Wisconsin
The middle half of Wisconsin dental assistants earn $45,560 to $55,630.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $39,500, $2,370 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $58,840, $3,410 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Wisconsin
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Wisconsin's 2024 price level at 94.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 5.9% below the national average, and housing (index 79.3) runs 20.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,520 median is worth about $50,500 — $2,430 above the national median of $48,070.
How many dental assistants work in Wisconsin
BLS counts about 7,760 dental assistant jobs in Wisconsin, 2.0% of the 387,790 nationwide, or 2.637 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental assistants hold a 6% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.06).
Dental Assistant Salary by City in Wisconsin
Across the 13 Wisconsin metro areas where BLS publishes a dental assistant median, pay runs from $45,190 in Racine to $49,930 in Madison, a spread of $4,740.
All dental roles by metro: Appleton · Eau Claire · Green Bay · Janesville · Kenosha · La Crosse · Madison · Milwaukee · Oshkosh · Racine · Wausau
What Dental Assistant Job Listings in Wisconsin Show Right Now
From the 83 active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Heartland Dental30
- Smile Brands23
- Orthodontic Experts7
- Elite Dental Partners2
Pay employers post
- Median $23 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $23–$23.50 (15 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 18% of dental assistant listings in Wisconsin state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 93%
- Health insurancenamed in 89%
- 401(k) plannamed in 54%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 47%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 46%
- Training providednamed in 14%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 8%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 8%
Source: active dental assistant listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 83 jobs →Dental Assistant Regulatory Context in Wisconsin
Dental assistant practice in Wisconsin is regulated by the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board.
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 Wisconsin Compares
Other dental salaries in Wisconsin
- Dentist salary in Wisconsin: median $193,690, $146,170 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Wisconsin: median $96,540, $49,020 above the dental assistant median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Wisconsin: median $47,170, $350 below the dental assistant median
- Orthodontist salary in Wisconsin: median $212,860, $165,340 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.