Dental Assistant salary in Lexington
Lexington–Fayette, KY
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Lexington metro earns $48,690 ($23.41/hr). Lexington is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Lexington: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,690, dental assistants in Lexington earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Lexington ranks 108th.
Compared with Kentucky as a whole (median $47,730), Lexington pays dental assistants about 2% more — slightly 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 $30,400, while the top tenth earn $62,200 or more — a spread of about $31,800. 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 750 dental assistants employed in Lexington — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lexington, a dental assistant earns about 2.4× less than a general dentist and about 1.6× less than a dental hygienist ($114,990, $80,110 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Lexington (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $30,400 | $14.62/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,760 | $22.48/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,690 | $23.41/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $58,430 | $28.09/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $62,200 | $29.90/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $50,580 | $24.32/hr |
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How much does a dental assistant make in Lexington?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Lexington metro earns about $48,690 ($23.41/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lexington dental assistant pay compare to Kentucky overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lexington metro median is about $48,690, versus the verified BLS OEWS Kentucky statewide median of about $47,730.
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