Dental Assistant salary in Lincoln
Lincoln, NE
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Lincoln metro earns $48,440 ($23.29/hr). Lincoln is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Lincoln: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,440, dental assistants in Lincoln earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Lincoln ranks 118th.
Compared with Nebraska as a whole (median $46,660), Lincoln 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 $38,970, while the top tenth earn $57,560 or more — a spread of about $18,590. 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 580 dental assistants employed in Lincoln — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lincoln, a dental assistant earns about 4.2× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($204,530, $95,100 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Lincoln (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,970 | $18.74/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,360 | $22.29/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,440 | $23.29/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $49,790 | $23.94/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $57,560 | $27.67/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $47,950 | $23.05/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Lincoln?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Lincoln metro earns about $48,440 ($23.29/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lincoln dental assistant pay compare to Nebraska overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lincoln metro median is about $48,440, versus the verified BLS OEWS Nebraska statewide median of about $46,660.
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