Home / Dental Assistant Programs
Dental assistant programs
593 colleges and career schools report dental assistant programs to IPEDS, with 15,556 completions in 2023-24.
Programs listed
678
all states
Middle program cost
$16,500
$15,190 to $19,900, IPEDS
Middle length
9 months
195 certificates, IPEDS
Median pay
$48,070
dental assistants, BLS May 2025
On state WIOA lists
1,020
programs, U.S. DOL file
Dental Assistant Programs by state
| State | Programs | Completions, 2023-24 | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 3 | 96 | $57,710 |
| Alabama | 11 | 211 | $39,080 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 77 | $42,830 |
| Arizona | 16 | 640 | $49,000 |
| California | 101 | 3,851 | $50,110 |
| Colorado | 12 | 317 | $48,340 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 165 | $56,850 |
| Delaware | 1 | 7 | $47,600 |
| Florida | 56 | 859 | $47,620 |
| Georgia | 18 | 652 | $46,840 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 12 | $44,720 |
| Iowa | 9 | 208 | $48,430 |
| Idaho | 4 | 98 | $45,880 |
| Illinois | 22 | 297 | $48,610 |
| Indiana | 12 | 305 | $48,670 |
| Kansas | 2 | 30 | Not published |
| Kentucky | 5 | 141 | $47,730 |
| Louisiana | 11 | 197 | $44,090 |
| Massachusetts | 8 | 82 | $57,980 |
| Maryland | 6 | 127 | $48,620 |
| Maine | 1 | None reported | $60,070 |
| Michigan | 23 | 365 | $48,820 |
| Minnesota | 13 | 535 | $65,270 |
| Missouri | 8 | 156 | $45,970 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 251 | $39,160 |
| Montana | 2 | 6 | $46,680 |
| North Carolina | 20 | 355 | $50,380 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 16 | $57,770 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 59 | $46,660 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 12 | $59,530 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 324 | $49,390 |
| New Mexico | 8 | 141 | $44,400 |
| Nevada | 8 | 297 | $47,110 |
| New York | 14 | 239 | $48,110 |
| Ohio | 56 | 442 | $47,970 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | 113 | $45,740 |
| Oregon | 11 | 227 | $59,490 |
| Pennsylvania | 21 | 218 | $47,930 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 41 | $50,150 |
| South Carolina | 10 | 186 | $47,320 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 50 | $47,900 |
| Tennessee | 19 | 420 | $46,720 |
| Texas | 61 | 1,536 | $45,430 |
| Utah | 5 | 208 | $37,760 |
| Virginia | 11 | 179 | $46,670 |
| Washington | 15 | 288 | $58,090 |
| Wisconsin | 14 | 256 | $47,520 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 25 | $37,960 |
Programs counts IPEDS schools. Completions: IPEDS, the schools on the state page. Median pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual.
Dental assistant programs on state WIOA lists: cost and results
| State | Programs | Middle listed cost | Completed | Employed, Q2 | Median quarterly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 4 | $18,000 | 83.3% | 84.2% | $9,770 |
| Alabama (DOL data note) | 12 | $2,974 | 85.7% | 28.9% | $4,698 |
| Arkansas | 4 | $5,604 | 84.2% | 76.7% | $6,403 |
| Arizona | 34 | $7,500 | 78.7% | 86.7% | $7,956 |
| California | 69 | $4,000 | 86.4% | 73% | $8,837 |
| Colorado (DOL data note) | 17 | $4,000 | 92.7% | 61.5% | $6,178 |
| Connecticut | 8 | $4,249 | 93.3% | 80% | $8,985 |
| Delaware | 4 | $3,995 | 65.4% | 41.4% | $7,364 |
| Florida | 47 | $5,042 | 81.2% | 82.3% | $7,100 |
| Georgia | 31 | $5,709 | 83.9% | 81.2% | $6,049 |
| Hawaii | 4 | $5,483 | 98.5% | 56.2% | $7,713 |
| Iowa | 11 | $9,457 | 66.7% | 88.1% | $7,023 |
| Idaho | 4 | $10,200 | 96.4% | 46.4% | Not reported |
| Illinois (DOL data note) | 33 | Not reported | Not reported | 100% | $7,162 |
| Indiana | 60 | $2,844 | 76.6% | 80% | $6,531 |
| Kentucky | 16 | Not reported | 91.3% | 79.7% | $6,082 |
| Louisiana (DOL data note) | 23 | $4,000 | 69.6% | 100% | $4,642 |
| Massachusetts | 14 | $4,728 | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it | $8,710 |
| Maryland | 15 | $2,377 | 75% | 79.6% | $6,982 |
| Michigan | 39 | $12,823 | 62.5% | 80.8% | $6,439 |
| Minnesota | 30 | $9,683 | 67.9% | 84.5% | $8,558 |
| Missouri | 25 | $3,799 | 70% | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it |
| North Carolina | 36 | $3,586 | 84.9% | 83.8% | $7,828 |
| Nebraska | 10 | $4,873 | 82.6% | 93.3% | $7,074 |
| New Hampshire | 20 | $340 | 93.5% | 50% | $8,324 |
| New Mexico | 18 | $3,975 | 100% | 80% | $6,630 |
| Nevada | 18 | $4,402 | 76.9% | 88.9% | $6,640 |
| Ohio | 70 | $4,425 | 95.5% | 82.7% | $6,290 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | $5,250 | 92.3% | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it |
| South Carolina | 4 | $4,200 | 92.9% | Fewer than 3 report it | Fewer than 3 report it |
| Tennessee | 31 | $4,535 | 90.4% | 87.1% | $6,425 |
| Texas | 106 | $4,500 | 88.2% | 78.7% | $6,179 |
| Utah | 9 | $3,091 | 87.2% | 77.3% | $7,424 |
| Virginia | 18 | $4,000 | 96.9% | 71.4% | $7,696 |
| Washington | 60 | $4,290 | 86.2% | 84.2% | $8,542 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | $4,206 | 75.3% | 84.5% | $7,697 |
States with 3 or more dental assistant programs on their eligible training provider list and at least one reported result. Completed: of all students who exited. Employed and earnings: the second quarter after exit, from state wage records. Each figure is the middle program of those that report it.
Dental assistant length and pay in detail
- Program length
- Middle 9 months; half take 8 months to 10 months (195 certificate programs reporting a length to IPEDS). Clock-hour programs: 600 to 960 hours, middle 845.
- Pay for dental assistants
- $48,070 a year ($23 an hour), national median, May 2025; the lowest-paid tenth earned under $37,130 (BLS OEWS).
- Programs, cost, length and completions: IPEDS complete data files, 2024-25 collection, read October 8, 2026.
- WIOA results: DOL TrainingProviderResults.gov program file (ETA-9171), read October 8, 2026.
- Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025, read October 8, 2026.
Dental Assistant Programs in the largest metro areas
- Los Angeles area33 programs · median pay $46,900
- Dallas area20 programs · median pay $47,570
- New York area17 programs · median pay $48,430
- Miami area16 programs · median pay $47,860
- San Francisco area13 programs · median pay $64,390
- Cleveland area12 programs · median pay $47,800
- Columbus area11 programs · median pay $48,760
- Cincinnati area10 programs · median pay $49,590
- Tampa area10 programs · median pay $46,890
- San Diego area8 programs · median pay $58,120
- Orlando area7 programs · median pay $46,480
- Philadelphia area7 programs · median pay $49,570
- Austin area6 programs · median pay $48,500
- Fresno area5 programs · median pay $50,040
Campus groups with dental assistant programs
- Ross Medical Education Center28 campuses · AL, IN, KY, MI, OH, TN, WV
- UEI College16 campuses · AZ, CA, WA
- Pima Medical Institute15 campuses · AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, TX, WA
- Carrington College13 campuses · AZ, CA, ID, NM, NV, OR, WA
- Concorde Career College13 campuses · CA, CO, MO, MS, OR, TN, TX
- Fortis College12 campuses · AL, FL, GA, IN, MD, OH, SC, UT, VA
- Fortis Institute7 campuses · AL, FL, MD, NJ, PA
- The College of Health Care Professions7 campuses · TX
- North-West College6 campuses · CA
- Remington College6 campuses · OH, TN, TX
- American Institute5 campuses · CT, NJ
- Milan Institute5 campuses · CA, NV, TX
- Miller-Motte College5 campuses · NC, OK, PA, TN
- San Joaquin Valley College5 campuses · CA
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology5 campuses · TN
- Unitech Training Academy5 campuses · LA
- Concorde Career Institute4 campuses · FL
- Ross College4 campuses · MI, OH, WV
- American Career College3 campuses · CA
- Dorsey College3 campuses · MI
- Stautzenberger College3 campuses · IL, OH
- United Education Institute3 campuses · GA, NV
- Blue Cliff College2 campuses · LA, MS
- Lincoln Technical Institute2 campuses · NJ, RI
- Miller-Motte College-STVT2 campuses · TX
- University of New Mexico2 campuses · NM
- West Virginia Junior College2 campuses · WV
- Centura College1 campus · VA
- New Mexico State University1 campus · NM
- Orange Technical College1 campus · FL
Campuses offering the program: IPEDS 2024.