Dental Assistant salary in South Bend
South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the South Bend metro earns $47,770 ($22.96/hr). South Bend is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in South Bend: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,770, dental assistants in South Bend earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, South Bend ranks 152nd.
Compared with Indiana as a whole (median $48,670), South Bend pays dental assistants about 2% 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 $36,320, while the top tenth earn $62,660 or more — a spread of about $26,340. 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 360 dental assistants employed in South Bend — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within South Bend, a dental assistant earns about 3.6× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× less than a dental hygienist ($173,140, $82,650 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — South Bend (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $36,320 | $17.46/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $44,970 | $21.62/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,770 | $22.97/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $56,960 | $27.38/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $62,660 | $30.13/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $49,830 | $23.96/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 South Bend?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the South Bend metro earns about $47,770 ($22.96/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does South Bend dental assistant pay compare to Indiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS South Bend metro median is about $47,770, versus the verified BLS OEWS Indiana statewide median of about $48,670.
Last updated