Dental Assistant salary in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Santa Cruz metro earns $58,580 ($28.16/hr). Santa Cruz pays roughly 22% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Santa Cruz: the analysis
At a verified median of $58,580, dental assistants in Santa Cruz earn notably above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 22%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Santa Cruz ranks 22nd.
Compared with California as a whole (median $50,110), Santa Cruz pays dental assistants about 17% more — notably above the statewide figure. 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 $49,170, while the top tenth earn $72,800 or more — a spread of about $23,630. 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 370 dental assistants employed in Santa Cruz — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Cruz, a dental assistant earns about 3.0× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($175,950, $130,600 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Santa Cruz (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $49,170 | $23.64/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $50,500 | $24.28/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $58,580 | $28.16/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $63,070 | $30.32/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $72,800 | $35.00/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $58,970 | $28.35/hr |
Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Santa Cruz?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Santa Cruz metro earns about $58,580 ($28.16/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Cruz dental assistant pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Cruz metro median is about $58,580, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $50,110.
Last updated