Dental Assistant salary in Auburn
Auburn–Opelika, AL
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Auburn metro earns $38,550 ($18.53/hr). Auburn pays roughly 20% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Auburn: the analysis
At a verified median of $38,550, dental assistants in Auburn earn notably below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 20%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Auburn ranks 348th.
Compared with Alabama as a whole (median $39,080), Auburn tracks the statewide median closely. Local demand, cost of labor, and the mix of practices drive most of that difference.
The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of dental assistants in this metro area earn around $31,540, while the top tenth earn $48,130 or more — a spread of about $16,590. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and local demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.
The BLS counts roughly 130 dental assistants employed in Auburn — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Auburn, a dental assistant earns about 3.1× less than a general dentist and about 1.6× less than a dental hygienist ($121,200, $60,490 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Auburn (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $31,540 | $15.16/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $35,970 | $17.29/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $38,550 | $18.53/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $46,850 | $22.52/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $48,130 | $23.14/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $41,140 | $19.78/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Auburn?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Auburn metro earns about $38,550 ($18.53/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Auburn dental assistant pay compare to Alabama overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Auburn metro median is about $38,550, versus the verified BLS OEWS Alabama statewide median of about $39,080.
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