Dental Assistant salary in Buffalo
Buffalo–Cheektowaga, NY
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Buffalo metro earns $47,610 ($22.89/hr). Buffalo is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Buffalo: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,610, dental assistants in Buffalo earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Buffalo ranks 159th.
Compared with New York as a whole (median $48,110), Buffalo 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 $40,690, while the top tenth earn $56,410 or more — a spread of about $15,720. 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 1,230 dental assistants employed in Buffalo — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Buffalo, a dental assistant earns about 3.7× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× less than a dental hygienist ($178,260, $82,470 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Buffalo (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $40,690 | $19.56/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,660 | $22.43/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,610 | $22.89/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $49,060 | $23.59/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $56,410 | $27.12/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $48,380 | $23.26/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Buffalo?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Buffalo metro earns about $47,610 ($22.89/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Buffalo dental assistant pay compare to New York overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Buffalo metro median is about $47,610, versus the verified BLS OEWS New York statewide median of about $48,110.
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