Dental Assistant salary in Rapid City
Rapid City, SD
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Rapid City metro earns $47,850 ($23.00/hr). Rapid City is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Rapid City: the analysis
At a verified median of $47,850, dental assistants in Rapid City earn about the U.S. median. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Rapid City ranks 149th.
Compared with South Dakota as a whole (median $47,900), Rapid City 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 $37,970, while the top tenth earn $59,030 or more — a spread of about $21,060. 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 320 dental assistants employed in Rapid City — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Rapid City, a dental assistant earns about 3.3× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($158,140, $91,890 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Rapid City (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,970 | $18.25/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $46,270 | $22.25/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $47,850 | $23.00/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $56,530 | $27.18/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $59,030 | $28.38/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $49,070 | $23.59/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Rapid City?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Rapid City metro earns about $47,850 ($23.00/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Rapid City dental assistant pay compare to South Dakota overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Rapid City metro median is about $47,850, versus the verified BLS OEWS South Dakota statewide median of about $47,900.
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