Dental Assistant salary in Athens
Athens–Clarke County, GA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Athens metro earns $43,970 ($21.14/hr). Athens pays roughly 9% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Athens: the analysis
At a verified median of $43,970, dental assistants in Athens earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 9%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Athens ranks 314th.
Compared with Georgia as a whole (median $46,840), Athens pays dental assistants about 6% 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 $36,420, while the top tenth earn $55,890 or more — a spread of about $19,470. 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 160 dental assistants employed in Athens — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Athens, a dental assistant earns about 3.8× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($166,440, $81,830 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Athens (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $36,420 | $17.51/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $37,310 | $17.94/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $43,970 | $21.14/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $46,550 | $22.38/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $55,890 | $26.87/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $44,470 | $21.38/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Athens?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Athens metro earns about $43,970 ($21.14/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Athens dental assistant pay compare to Georgia overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Athens metro median is about $43,970, versus the verified BLS OEWS Georgia statewide median of about $46,840.
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