Washington pays $5,592, or 14.1 percent, above the national average of $39,712.
ZipRecruiter collects its compensation data, which was updated Sept. 11, from employer job postings and third-party data sources.
Here is the average annual salary in the 10 highest-paying states for dental assistants:
1. Washington: $45,304
2. New York: $43,204
3. Maryland: $42,088
4. Virginia: $41,943
5. California: $41,757
6. Delaware: $41,538
7. Oklahoma: $39,849
8. Massachusetts: $39,642
9. Nevada: $39,466
10. Vermont: $38,825