Dental Assistant salary in Fairbanks
Fairbanks–College, AK
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Fairbanks metro earns $56,810 ($27.31/hr). Fairbanks pays roughly 18% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Fairbanks: the analysis
At a verified median of $56,810, dental assistants in Fairbanks earn notably above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 18%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Fairbanks ranks 40th.
Compared with Alaska as a whole (median $57,710), Fairbanks pays dental assistants about 2% less than the statewide median. 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 $39,570, while the top tenth earn $61,680 or more — a spread of about $22,110. 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 140 dental assistants employed in Fairbanks — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Fairbanks, a dental assistant earns about 3.8× less than a general dentist and about 2.3× less than a dental hygienist ($215,910, $131,860 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Fairbanks (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $39,570 | $19.02/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $47,430 | $22.80/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $56,810 | $27.31/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $59,030 | $28.38/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $61,680 | $29.65/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $53,590 | $25.76/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Fairbanks?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Fairbanks metro earns about $56,810 ($27.31/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Fairbanks dental assistant pay compare to Alaska overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Fairbanks metro median is about $56,810, versus the verified BLS OEWS Alaska statewide median of about $57,710.
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