Dental Assistant salary in Tucson
Tucson, AZ
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Tucson metro earns $47,510 ($22.84/hr). Tucson is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Tucson: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,510, dental assistants in Tucson earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Tucson ranks 165th.
Compared with Arizona as a whole (median $49,000), Tucson pays dental assistants about 3% 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 $37,580, while the top tenth earn $56,580 or more — a spread of about $19,000. 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 970 dental assistants employed in Tucson — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Tucson, a dental assistant earns about 3.8× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($182,200, $96,740 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Tucson (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,580 | $18.07/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $38,940 | $18.72/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,510 | $22.84/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $49,540 | $23.82/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $56,580 | $27.20/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $46,740 | $22.47/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Tucson?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Tucson metro earns about $47,510 ($22.84/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Tucson dental assistant pay compare to Arizona overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Tucson metro median is about $47,510, versus the verified BLS OEWS Arizona statewide median of about $49,000.
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