Dental Assistant salary in Nashville
Nashville–Davidson––Murfreesboro––Franklin, TN
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Nashville metro earns $48,540 ($23.34/hr). Nashville is about the national median ($48,070).
Dental Assistant pay in Nashville: the analysis
At a verified median of $48,540, dental assistants in Nashville earn in line with the U.S. median of $48,070 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Nashville ranks 112th.
Compared with Tennessee as a whole (median $46,720), Nashville pays dental assistants about 4% more — modestly above the statewide figure. 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 $38,820, while the top tenth earn $68,920 or more — a spread of about $30,100. 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 2,730 dental assistants employed in Nashville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Nashville, a dental assistant earns about 4.4× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($215,290, $94,030 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Nashville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,820 | $18.66/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $45,040 | $21.65/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $48,540 | $23.34/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $60,510 | $29.09/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $68,920 | $33.13/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $52,320 | $25.15/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Nashville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Nashville metro earns about $48,540 ($23.34/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Nashville dental assistant pay compare to Tennessee overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Nashville metro median is about $48,540, versus the verified BLS OEWS Tennessee statewide median of about $46,720.
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