Dental Assistant salary in New Orleans
New Orleans–Metairie, LA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the New Orleans metro earns $45,920 ($22.08/hr). New Orleans pays roughly 4% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in New Orleans: the analysis
At a verified median of $45,920, dental assistants in New Orleans earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 4%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, New Orleans ranks 254th.
Compared with Louisiana as a whole (median $44,090), New Orleans pays dental assistants about 4% more — modestly 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 $36,400, while the top tenth earn $52,190 or more — a spread of about $15,790. 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 760 dental assistants employed in New Orleans — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within New Orleans, a dental assistant earns about 4.3× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($198,050, $93,650 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — New Orleans (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $36,400 | $17.50/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $37,610 | $18.08/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $45,920 | $22.08/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $47,960 | $23.06/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $52,190 | $25.09/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $44,760 | $21.52/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in New Orleans?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the New Orleans metro earns about $45,920 ($22.08/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does New Orleans dental assistant pay compare to Louisiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS New Orleans metro median is about $45,920, versus the verified BLS OEWS Louisiana statewide median of about $44,090.
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