The median hourly wage for dental assistants was $21.55 in 2022, a 7.3% increase from 2021, according to the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.
The 90th percentile for dental assistants was $28.46, and the 10th percentile was $15.12.
The ADA collected the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and used the consumer price index to adjust the wages for inflation.
Here is the inflation-adjusted median hourly wage for dental assistants in the U.S. from 2001 to 2022:
2001: $21.23
2002: $21.31
2003: $21.19
2004: $21.10
2005: $21.26
2006: $21.09
2007: $21.41
2008: $21.16
2009: $21.80
2010: $21.59
2011: $21.36
2012: $21.15
2013: $21.08
2014: $21.04
2015: $21.36
2016: $21.66
2017: $21.60
2018: $21.67
2019: $22.06
2020: $22.39
2021: $20.08
2022: $21.55