Dental Assistant salary in Brownsville
Brownsville–Harlingen, TX
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Brownsville metro earns $37,560 ($18.06/hr). Brownsville pays roughly 22% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Brownsville: the analysis
At a verified median of $37,560, dental assistants in Brownsville earn notably below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 22%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Brownsville ranks 361st.
Compared with Texas as a whole (median $45,430), Brownsville pays dental assistants about 17% less than the statewide median. 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 $30,010, while the top tenth earn $45,790 or more — a spread of about $15,780. 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 330 dental assistants employed in Brownsville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Brownsville, a dental assistant earns about 3.6× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($134,550, $82,860 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Brownsville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $30,010 | $14.43/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $35,360 | $17.00/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $37,560 | $18.06/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $44,370 | $21.33/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $45,790 | $22.01/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $39,330 | $18.91/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Brownsville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Brownsville metro earns about $37,560 ($18.06/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Brownsville dental assistant pay compare to Texas overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Brownsville metro median is about $37,560, versus the verified BLS OEWS Texas statewide median of about $45,430.
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