Dental Assistant salary in Waco
Waco, TX
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Waco metro earns $43,980 ($21.14/hr). Waco pays roughly 9% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Waco: the analysis
At a verified median of $43,980, dental assistants in Waco 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, Waco ranks 313th.
Compared with Texas as a whole (median $45,430), Waco pays dental assistants about 3% 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 $35,040, while the top tenth earn $57,690 or more — a spread of about $22,650. 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 250 dental assistants employed in Waco — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Waco, a dental assistant earns about 3.3× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($145,630, $95,340 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Waco (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $35,040 | $16.85/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $35,720 | $17.17/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $43,980 | $21.14/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $47,320 | $22.75/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $57,690 | $27.74/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $43,390 | $20.86/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Waco?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Waco metro earns about $43,980 ($21.14/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Waco dental assistant pay compare to Texas overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Waco metro median is about $43,980, versus the verified BLS OEWS Texas statewide median of about $45,430.
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