Dental Assistant salary in Seattle
Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Seattle metro earns $62,040 ($29.83/hr). Seattle pays roughly 29% above the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Seattle: the analysis
At a verified median of $62,040, dental assistants in Seattle earn substantially above the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 29%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Seattle ranks 5th.
Compared with Washington as a whole (median $58,090), Seattle pays dental assistants about 7% 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 $48,900, while the top tenth earn $72,060 or more — a spread of about $23,160. 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 7,100 dental assistants employed in Seattle — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Seattle, a dental assistant earns about 2.6× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× less than a dental hygienist ($161,270, $133,740 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Seattle (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $48,900 | $23.51/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $49,370 | $23.74/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $62,040 | $29.83/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $63,070 | $30.32/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $72,060 | $34.64/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $59,650 | $28.68/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Seattle?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Seattle metro earns about $62,040 ($29.83/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Seattle dental assistant pay compare to Washington overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Seattle metro median is about $62,040, versus the verified BLS OEWS Washington statewide median of about $58,090.
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