Dental Assistant salary in Chattanooga
Chattanooga, TN-GA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Chattanooga metro earns $46,360 ($22.29/hr). Chattanooga pays roughly 4% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Chattanooga: the analysis
At a verified median of $46,360, dental assistants in Chattanooga earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 4%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Chattanooga ranks 234th.
Compared with Tennessee as a whole (median $46,720), Chattanooga 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 $37,560, while the top tenth earn $60,040 or more — a spread of about $22,480. 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 670 dental assistants employed in Chattanooga — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Chattanooga, a dental assistant earns about 3.5× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× less than a dental hygienist ($160,620, $83,460 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Chattanooga (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,560 | $18.06/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $39,390 | $18.94/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $46,360 | $22.29/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $56,590 | $27.21/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,040 | $28.87/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $48,020 | $23.09/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Chattanooga?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Chattanooga metro earns about $46,360 ($22.29/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Chattanooga dental assistant pay compare to Tennessee overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Chattanooga metro median is about $46,360, versus the verified BLS OEWS Tennessee statewide median of about $46,720.
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