Dental Assistant salary in Ames
Ames, IA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Ames metro earns $49,140 ($23.63/hr). Ames pays roughly 2% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Ames: the analysis
At a verified median of $49,140, dental assistants in Ames earn slightly above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 2%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Ames ranks 89th.
Compared with Iowa as a whole (median $48,430), Ames tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $45,490, while the top tenth earn $60,270 or more — a spread of about $14,780. 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 110 dental assistants employed in Ames — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Ames, a dental assistant earns about 3.3× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× less than a dental hygienist ($163,950, $89,130 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Ames (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $45,490 | $21.87/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $47,650 | $22.91/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $49,140 | $23.63/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $58,640 | $28.19/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,270 | $28.98/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $51,500 | $24.76/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Ames?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Ames metro earns about $49,140 ($23.63/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Ames dental assistant pay compare to Iowa overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Ames metro median is about $49,140, versus the verified BLS OEWS Iowa statewide median of about $48,430.
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