Dental Assistant salary in Santa Maria
Santa Maria–Santa Barbara, CA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Santa Maria metro earns $51,310 ($24.67/hr). Santa Maria pays roughly 7% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Santa Maria: the analysis
At a verified median of $51,310, dental assistants in Santa Maria earn modestly above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 7%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Santa Maria ranks 52nd.
Compared with California as a whole (median $50,110), Santa Maria pays dental assistants about 2% more — slightly 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 $44,410, while the top tenth earn $64,250 or more — a spread of about $19,840. 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 610 dental assistants employed in Santa Maria — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Maria, a dental assistant earns about 3.3× less than a general dentist and about 2.7× less than a dental hygienist ($170,940, $135,990 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Santa Maria (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $44,410 | $21.35/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $47,250 | $22.72/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $51,310 | $24.67/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $61,210 | $29.43/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $64,250 | $30.89/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $54,120 | $26.02/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 Maria?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Santa Maria metro earns about $51,310 ($24.67/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Maria dental assistant pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Maria metro median is about $51,310, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $50,110.
Last updated