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Dental Assistants: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 31-9091.00 · Dental Assistant Programs
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Dental Assistants, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for DENTAL ASSISTANT (Alternate Title: Dental Specialist) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| DENTAL ASSISTANT (Alternate Title: Dental Specialist) | 0101 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What dental assistants earn, by state
Minnesota has the highest state median for dental assistants ($65,270) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($35,910), across the 53 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $65,270 | $31.38 | 5,980 |
| District of Columbia | $60,580 | $29.13 | 630 |
| Maine | $60,070 | $28.88 | 1,550 |
| New Hampshire | $59,530 | $28.62 | 1,600 |
| Oregon | $59,490 | $28.60 | 5,930 |
| Washington | $58,090 | $27.93 | 13,050 |
| Massachusetts | $57,980 | $27.88 | 9,680 |
| North Dakota | $57,770 | $27.78 | 860 |
| Alaska | $57,710 | $27.74 | 1,140 |
| Connecticut | $56,850 | $27.33 | 3,840 |
| Vermont | $52,760 | $25.37 | 580 |
| North Carolina | $50,380 | $24.22 | 11,450 |
| Rhode Island | $50,150 | $24.11 | 1,050 |
| California | $50,110 | $24.09 | 56,220 |
| New Jersey | $49,390 | $23.74 | 9,990 |
| Arizona | $49,000 | $23.56 | 8,680 |
| Michigan | $48,820 | $23.47 | 11,990 |
| Indiana | $48,670 | $23.40 | 6,690 |
| Maryland | $48,620 | $23.38 | 6,560 |
| Illinois | $48,610 | $23.37 | 13,740 |
| Iowa | $48,430 | $23.28 | 3,210 |
| Colorado | $48,340 | $23.24 | 8,360 |
| New York | $48,110 | $23.13 | 19,800 |
| Ohio | $47,970 | $23.06 | 12,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,930 | $23.05 | 12,080 |
| South Dakota | $47,900 | $23.03 | 1,290 |
| Kentucky | $47,730 | $22.95 | 4,530 |
| Florida | $47,620 | $22.89 | 26,620 |
| Delaware | $47,600 | $22.89 | 990 |
| Wisconsin | $47,520 | $22.85 | 7,760 |
| South Carolina | $47,320 | $22.75 | 5,530 |
| Nevada | $47,110 | $22.65 | 4,230 |
| Georgia | $46,840 | $22.52 | 10,540 |
| Tennessee | $46,720 | $22.46 | 7,420 |
| Montana | $46,680 | $22.44 | 1,450 |
| Virginia | $46,670 | $22.44 | 10,760 |
| Nebraska | $46,660 | $22.43 | 2,520 |
| Missouri | $45,970 | $22.10 | 6,760 |
| Idaho | $45,880 | $22.06 | 2,680 |
| Oklahoma | $45,740 | $21.99 | 4,550 |
| Texas | $45,430 | $21.84 | 33,230 |
| Wyoming | $44,990 | $21.63 | 630 |
| Hawaii | $44,720 | $21.50 | 1,960 |
| New Mexico | $44,400 | $21.35 | 2,150 |
| Louisiana | $44,090 | $21.20 | 4,540 |
| Arkansas | $42,830 | $20.59 | 2,950 |
| Guam | $40,280 | $19.37 | 110 |
| Mississippi | $39,160 | $18.83 | 3,080 |
| Alabama | $39,080 | $18.79 | 3,740 |
| West Virginia | $37,960 | $18.25 | 1,290 |
| Utah | $37,760 | $18.16 | 6,640 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $36,540 | $17.57 | 70 |
| Puerto Rico | $35,910 | $17.27 | 3,210 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · Dental Assistant Programs at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).