Dental Assistant salary in Durham
Durham–Chapel Hill, NC
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Durham metro earns $51,670 ($24.84/hr). Durham pays roughly 7% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Durham: the analysis
At a verified median of $51,670, dental assistants in Durham earn modestly above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 7%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Durham ranks 50th.
Compared with North Carolina as a whole (median $50,380), Durham pays dental assistants about 3% more — slightly 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 $39,530, while the top tenth earn $60,920 or more — a spread of about $21,390. 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 640 dental assistants employed in Durham — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Durham, a dental assistant earns about 4.0× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($208,490, $101,460 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Durham (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $39,530 | $19.00/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $49,390 | $23.75/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $51,670 | $24.84/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $59,180 | $28.45/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,920 | $29.29/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $53,360 | $25.65/hr |
North Carolina context
North Carolina verified median: $50,380.
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Durham?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Durham metro earns about $51,670 ($24.84/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Durham dental assistant pay compare to North Carolina overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Durham metro median is about $51,670, versus the verified BLS OEWS North Carolina statewide median of about $50,380.
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