Dental Assistant salary in Houston
Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, TX
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Houston metro earns $43,730 ($21.02/hr). Houston pays roughly 9% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Houston: the analysis
At a verified median of $43,730, dental assistants in Houston earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 9%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Houston ranks 321st.
Compared with Texas as a whole (median $45,430), Houston pays dental assistants about 4% 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 $30,540, while the top tenth earn $55,160 or more — a spread of about $24,620. 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 8,150 dental assistants employed in Houston — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Houston, a dental assistant earns about 2.4× less than a dental hygienist and about 2.3× less than a general dentist ($104,930, $98,570 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Houston (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $30,540 | $14.68/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $36,960 | $17.77/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $43,730 | $21.02/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $48,660 | $23.39/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $55,160 | $26.52/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $43,010 | $20.68/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Houston?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Houston metro earns about $43,730 ($21.02/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Houston dental assistant pay compare to Texas overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Houston metro median is about $43,730, versus the verified BLS OEWS Texas statewide median of about $45,430.
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