Dental Assistant salary in Bismarck
Bismarck, ND
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Bismarck metro earns $58,960 ($28.35/hr). Bismarck pays roughly 23% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Bismarck: the analysis
At a verified median of $58,960, dental assistants in Bismarck earn notably above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 23%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Bismarck ranks 17th.
Compared with North Dakota as a whole (median $57,770), Bismarck pays dental assistants about 2% 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 $46,130, while the top tenth earn $74,680 or more — a spread of about $28,550. 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 Bismarck — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Bismarck, a dental assistant earns about 3.1× less than a general dentist and about 1.6× less than a dental hygienist ($184,630, $91,600 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Bismarck (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $46,130 | $22.18/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $55,680 | $26.77/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $58,960 | $28.35/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $60,110 | $28.90/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $74,680 | $35.90/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $58,950 | $28.34/hr |
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 Bismarck?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Bismarck metro earns about $58,960 ($28.35/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Bismarck dental assistant pay compare to North Dakota overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Bismarck metro median is about $58,960, versus the verified BLS OEWS North Dakota statewide median of about $57,770.
Last updated