Dental Assistant salary in Lansing
Lansing–East Lansing, MI
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Lansing metro earns $56,150 ($26.99/hr). Lansing pays roughly 17% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Lansing: the analysis
At a verified median of $56,150, dental assistants in Lansing earn notably above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 17%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Lansing ranks 45th.
Compared with Michigan as a whole (median $48,820), Lansing pays dental assistants about 15% more — notably 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 $36,350, while the top tenth earn $57,520 or more — a spread of about $21,170. 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 550 dental assistants employed in Lansing — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lansing, a dental assistant earns about 2.9× less than a general dentist and about 1.6× less than a dental hygienist ($164,610, $90,710 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Lansing (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $36,350 | $17.48/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $45,510 | $21.88/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $56,150 | $27.00/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $57,040 | $27.42/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $57,520 | $27.65/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $50,480 | $24.27/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Lansing?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Lansing metro earns about $56,150 ($26.99/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lansing dental assistant pay compare to Michigan overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lansing metro median is about $56,150, versus the verified BLS OEWS Michigan statewide median of about $48,820.
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