Dental Assistant salary in Great Falls
Great Falls, MT
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Great Falls metro earns $46,360 ($22.29/hr). Great Falls pays roughly 4% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Great Falls: the analysis
At a verified median of $46,360, dental assistants in Great Falls 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, Great Falls ranks 233rd.
Compared with Montana as a whole (median $46,680), Great Falls tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $38,100, while the top tenth earn $55,700 or more — a spread of about $17,600. 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 120 dental assistants employed in Great Falls — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Great Falls, a dental assistant earns about 3.5× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($162,810, $94,460 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Great Falls (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,100 | $18.32/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $43,820 | $21.07/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $46,360 | $22.29/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $47,420 | $22.80/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $55,700 | $26.78/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $45,700 | $21.97/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Great Falls?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Great Falls metro earns about $46,360 ($22.29/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Great Falls dental assistant pay compare to Montana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Great Falls metro median is about $46,360, versus the verified BLS OEWS Montana statewide median of about $46,680.
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