Dental Assistant salary in Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa–Petaluma, CA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Santa Rosa metro earns $60,590 ($29.13/hr). Santa Rosa pays roughly 26% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Santa Rosa: the analysis
At a verified median of $60,590, dental assistants in Santa Rosa earn substantially above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 26%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Santa Rosa ranks 9th.
Compared with California as a whole (median $50,110), Santa Rosa pays dental assistants about 21% 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 $46,160, while the top tenth earn $78,240 or more — a spread of about $32,080. 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 680 dental assistants employed in Santa Rosa — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Rosa, a dental assistant earns about 2.8× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($169,160, $136,210 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Santa Rosa (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $46,160 | $22.19/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $58,050 | $27.91/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $60,590 | $29.13/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $66,640 | $32.04/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $78,240 | $37.62/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $62,500 | $30.05/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Santa Rosa?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Santa Rosa metro earns about $60,590 ($29.13/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Rosa dental assistant pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Rosa metro median is about $60,590, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $50,110.
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