Dental Assistant salary in Asheville
Asheville, NC
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Asheville metro earns $56,680 ($27.25/hr). Asheville pays roughly 18% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Asheville: the analysis
At a verified median of $56,680, dental assistants in Asheville earn notably above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 18%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Asheville ranks 42nd.
Compared with North Carolina as a whole (median $50,380), Asheville pays dental assistants about 13% more — notably 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 $38,230, while the top tenth earn $60,200 or more — a spread of about $21,970. 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 560 dental assistants employed in Asheville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Asheville, a dental assistant earns about 3.6× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× less than a dental hygienist ($202,630, $101,170 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Asheville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,230 | $18.38/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $48,630 | $23.38/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $56,680 | $27.25/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $59,850 | $28.77/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,200 | $28.94/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $53,650 | $25.79/hr |
North Carolina context
North Carolina verified median: $50,380.
Dental Assistant salary in North Carolina →Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Asheville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Asheville metro earns about $56,680 ($27.25/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Asheville dental assistant pay compare to North Carolina overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Asheville metro median is about $56,680, versus the verified BLS OEWS North Carolina statewide median of about $50,380.
Last updated