Dental Assistant salary in Reading
Reading, PA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Reading metro earns $47,160 ($22.67/hr). Reading is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Reading: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,160, dental assistants in Reading earn slightly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 2%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Reading ranks 184th.
Compared with Pennsylvania as a whole (median $47,930), Reading pays dental assistants about 2% less than the statewide median. 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 $38,150, while the top tenth earn $61,520 or more — a spread of about $23,370. 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 370 dental assistants employed in Reading — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Reading, a dental assistant earns about 3.2× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× less than a dental hygienist ($151,850, $80,300 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Reading (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,150 | $18.34/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,050 | $22.14/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,160 | $22.67/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $58,840 | $28.29/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $61,520 | $29.58/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $49,340 | $23.72/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Reading?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Reading metro earns about $47,160 ($22.67/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Reading dental assistant pay compare to Pennsylvania overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Reading metro median is about $47,160, versus the verified BLS OEWS Pennsylvania statewide median of about $47,930.
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