Dental Assistant salary in Killeen
Killeen–Temple, TX
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Killeen metro earns $44,450 ($21.37/hr). Killeen pays roughly 8% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Killeen: the analysis
At a verified median of $44,450, dental assistants in Killeen earn modestly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 8%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Killeen ranks 304th.
Compared with Texas as a whole (median $45,430), Killeen pays dental assistants about 2% 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 $35,180, while the top tenth earn $56,620 or more — a spread of about $21,440. 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 470 dental assistants employed in Killeen — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Killeen, a dental assistant earns about 3.3× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($147,360, $97,140 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Killeen (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $35,180 | $16.91/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $38,130 | $18.33/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $44,450 | $21.37/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $47,330 | $22.75/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $56,620 | $27.22/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $44,430 | $21.36/hr |
Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Killeen?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Killeen metro earns about $44,450 ($21.37/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Killeen dental assistant pay compare to Texas overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Killeen metro median is about $44,450, versus the verified BLS OEWS Texas statewide median of about $45,430.
Last updated