Dental Assistant salary in Farmington
Farmington, NM
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Farmington metro earns $42,400 ($20.39/hr). Farmington pays roughly 12% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Farmington: the analysis
At a verified median of $42,400, dental assistants in Farmington earn notably below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 12%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Farmington ranks 334th.
Compared with New Mexico as a whole (median $44,400), Farmington pays dental assistants about 5% 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 $35,410, while the top tenth earn $63,250 or more — a spread of about $27,840. 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 210 dental assistants employed in Farmington — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Farmington, a dental assistant earns about 4.6× less than a general dentist and about 2.1× less than a dental hygienist ($195,760, $90,420 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Farmington (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $35,410 | $17.02/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $37,910 | $18.23/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $42,400 | $20.38/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $46,220 | $22.22/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $63,250 | $30.41/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $45,110 | $21.69/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Farmington?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Farmington metro earns about $42,400 ($20.39/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Farmington dental assistant pay compare to New Mexico overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Farmington metro median is about $42,400, versus the verified BLS OEWS New Mexico statewide median of about $44,400.
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