Dental Assistant salary in Columbus
Columbus, OH
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Columbus metro earns $48,760 ($23.44/hr). Columbus is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Columbus: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,760, dental assistants in Columbus earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Columbus ranks 103rd.
Compared with Ohio as a whole (median $47,970), Columbus 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 $37,730, while the top tenth earn $78,500 or more — a spread of about $40,770. 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 2,560 dental assistants employed in Columbus — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Columbus, a dental assistant earns about 3.4× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× less than a dental hygienist ($166,180, $96,880 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Columbus (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,730 | $18.14/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $45,650 | $21.95/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,760 | $23.44/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $57,290 | $27.54/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $78,500 | $37.74/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $52,250 | $25.12/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Columbus?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Columbus metro earns about $48,760 ($23.44/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Columbus dental assistant pay compare to Ohio overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Columbus metro median is about $48,760, versus the verified BLS OEWS Ohio statewide median of about $47,970.
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