Dental Assistant salary in Dubuque
Dubuque, IA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Dubuque metro earns $47,850 ($23.00/hr). Dubuque is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Dubuque: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,850, dental assistants in Dubuque earn about the U.S. median. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Dubuque ranks 148th.
Compared with Iowa as a whole (median $48,430), Dubuque 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 $38,660, while the top tenth earn $58,560 or more — a spread of about $19,900. 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 Dubuque — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Dubuque, a dental assistant earns about 3.4× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× less than a dental hygienist ($161,140, $81,410 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Dubuque (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,660 | $18.59/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,350 | $22.28/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,850 | $23.00/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $52,180 | $25.09/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $58,560 | $28.15/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $49,640 | $23.87/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Dubuque?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Dubuque metro earns about $47,850 ($23.00/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Dubuque dental assistant pay compare to Iowa overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Dubuque metro median is about $47,850, versus the verified BLS OEWS Iowa statewide median of about $48,430.
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