Dental Assistant salary in Merced
Merced, CA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Merced metro earns $48,520 ($23.33/hr). Merced is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Merced: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,520, dental assistants in Merced earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Merced ranks 113th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $50,110), Merced 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 $45,270, while the top tenth earn $60,320 or more — a spread of about $15,050. 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 250 dental assistants employed in Merced — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Merced, a dental assistant earns about 3.5× less than a general dentist and about 2.4× less than a dental hygienist ($170,200, $117,400 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Merced (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $45,270 | $21.76/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $48,020 | $23.09/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,520 | $23.33/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $57,790 | $27.78/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,320 | $29.00/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $52,050 | $25.02/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Merced?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Merced metro earns about $48,520 ($23.33/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Merced dental assistant pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Merced metro median is about $48,520, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $50,110.
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