Dental Assistant salary in Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Knoxville metro earns $46,790 ($22.49/hr). Knoxville pays roughly 3% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Knoxville: the analysis
At a verified median of $46,790, dental assistants in Knoxville earn slightly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Knoxville ranks 204th.
Compared with Tennessee as a whole (median $46,720), Knoxville 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 $37,810, while the top tenth earn $60,140 or more — a spread of about $22,330. 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 1,030 dental assistants employed in Knoxville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Knoxville, a dental assistant earns about 3.4× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× less than a dental hygienist ($157,900, $84,640 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Knoxville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $37,810 | $18.18/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $45,220 | $21.74/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $46,790 | $22.50/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $59,710 | $28.71/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $60,140 | $28.91/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $49,500 | $23.80/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Knoxville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Knoxville metro earns about $46,790 ($22.49/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Knoxville dental assistant pay compare to Tennessee overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Knoxville metro median is about $46,790, versus the verified BLS OEWS Tennessee statewide median of about $46,720.
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