Dental assistants have an average annual salary of $40,440 in Arkansas, the worst-ranked state for dental health in 2025.
Personal finance site WalletHub ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., across two main categories: dental habits and health and oral health. The rankings were published Jan. 30.
Compensation data for dental assistants is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Here is the average annual wage for dental assistants in the 10 worst states for dental health in 2025:
Arkansas: $40,440
Mississippi: $37,610
West Virginia: $39,890
Texas: $41,690
Louisiana: $38,290
Montana: $43,280
Alaska: $53,020
Kentucky: $41,090
Alabama: $37,440
Florida: $46,240