Dental Assistant salary in Bakersfield
Bakersfield–Delano, CA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Bakersfield metro earns $48,100 ($23.12/hr). Bakersfield is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Bakersfield: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,100, dental assistants in Bakersfield earn about the U.S. median. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Bakersfield ranks 138th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $50,110), Bakersfield pays dental assistants about 4% 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 $37,110, while the top tenth earn $69,640 or more — a spread of about $32,530. 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 990 dental assistants employed in Bakersfield — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Bakersfield, a dental assistant earns about 3.6× less than a general dentist and about 2.4× less than a dental hygienist ($172,120, $114,380 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Bakersfield (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,110 | $17.84/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $39,230 | $18.86/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,100 | $23.13/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $58,240 | $28.00/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $69,640 | $33.48/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $51,190 | $24.61/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Bakersfield?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Bakersfield metro earns about $48,100 ($23.12/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Bakersfield dental assistant pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Bakersfield metro median is about $48,100, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $50,110.
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