Dental Assistant salary in Providence
Providence–Warwick, RI-MA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Providence metro earns $49,460 ($23.78/hr). Providence pays roughly 3% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Providence: the analysis
At a verified median of $49,460, dental assistants in Providence earn slightly above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Providence ranks 83rd.
Compared with Rhode Island as a whole (median $50,150), Providence tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $44,700, while the top tenth earn $60,510 or more — a spread of about $15,810. 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 1,650 dental assistants employed in Providence — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Providence, a dental assistant earns about 3.5× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× less than a dental hygienist ($172,310, $89,310 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Providence (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $44,700 | $21.49/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $47,830 | $23.00/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $49,460 | $23.78/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $58,480 | $28.12/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,510 | $29.09/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $52,100 | $25.05/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 Providence?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Providence metro earns about $49,460 ($23.78/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Providence dental assistant pay compare to Rhode Island overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Providence metro median is about $49,460, versus the verified BLS OEWS Rhode Island statewide median of about $50,150.
Last updated