Dental Assistant salary in Wausau
Wausau, WI
The verified BLS median dental assistant in the Wausau metro earns $46,740 ($22.47/hr). Wausau pays roughly 3% below the national median of $48,070.
Dental Assistant pay in Wausau: the analysis
At a verified median of $46,740, dental assistants in Wausau earn slightly below the U.S. median of $48,070 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental assistant pay, Wausau ranks 208th.
Compared with Wisconsin as a whole (median $47,520), Wausau 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 $38,420, while the top tenth earn $57,720 or more — a spread of about $19,300. 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 230 dental assistants employed in Wausau — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Wausau, a dental assistant earns about 4.3× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× less than a dental hygienist ($202,250, $87,470 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Assistant pay distribution — Wausau (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $38,420 | $18.47/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $44,290 | $21.29/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $46,740 | $22.47/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $52,560 | $25.27/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $57,720 | $27.75/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $48,110 | $23.13/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental assistant make in Wausau?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental assistant in the Wausau metro earns about $46,740 ($22.47/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Wausau dental assistant pay compare to Wisconsin overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Wausau metro median is about $46,740, versus the verified BLS OEWS Wisconsin statewide median of about $47,520.
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