Dental Assistant salary in Jefferson City
Jefferson City, MO
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Jefferson City metro earns $44,090 ($21.20/hr). Jefferson City pays roughly 8% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Jefferson City: the analysis
At a verified median of $44,090, dental assistants in Jefferson City earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 8%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Jefferson City ranks 309th.
Compared with Missouri as a whole (median $45,970), Jefferson City pays dental assistants about 4% less than the statewide median. 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 $36,740, while the top tenth earn $56,300 or more — a spread of about $19,560. 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 150 dental assistants employed in Jefferson City — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Jefferson City, a dental assistant earns about 4.7× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($208,630, $85,290 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Jefferson City (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $36,740 | $17.66/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $38,320 | $18.42/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $44,090 | $21.20/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $47,010 | $22.60/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $56,300 | $27.07/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $44,240 | $21.27/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Jefferson City?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Jefferson City metro earns about $44,090 ($21.20/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Jefferson City dental assistant pay compare to Missouri overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Jefferson City metro median is about $44,090, versus the verified BLS OEWS Missouri statewide median of about $45,970.
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