Dental Assistant salary in Kansas City
Kansas City, MO-KS
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Kansas City metro earns $48,190 ($23.17/hr). Kansas City is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Kansas City: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,190, dental assistants in Kansas City earn about the U.S. median. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Kansas City ranks 133rd.
Compared with Missouri as a whole (median $45,970), Kansas City pays dental assistants about 5% 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 $38,190, while the top tenth earn $59,530 or more — a spread of about $21,340. 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 2,470 dental assistants employed in Kansas City — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Kansas City, a dental assistant earns about 3.6× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($171,690, $92,750 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Kansas City (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,190 | $18.36/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $39,140 | $18.82/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,190 | $23.17/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $53,760 | $25.85/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $59,530 | $28.62/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $47,870 | $23.01/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Kansas City?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Kansas City metro earns about $48,190 ($23.17/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Kansas City dental assistant pay compare to Missouri overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Kansas City metro median is about $48,190, versus the verified BLS OEWS Missouri statewide median of about $45,970.
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