Dental Assistant pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$24.09
an hour · $50,110 a year
- 10th
- $18.65
- 25th
- $22.25
- Median
- $24.09
- 75th
- $29.17
- 90th
- $35.43
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $18.65/hr, median $24.09/hr, 90th percentile $35.43/hr.
Employed in CA
56,220
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$0.98
U.S. median $23.11/hr
Licensing for dental assistants in California
Dental Board of California. Board, lookup and requirements
Dental Assistant pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim21,090 jobs$22.55/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont7,530 jobs$30.96/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario5,240 jobs$23.32/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad4,260 jobs$27.94/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom3,100 jobs$28.16/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara2,870 jobs$35.86/hr
- Fresno1,360 jobs$24.06/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura1,250 jobs$28.33/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano990 jobs$23.12/hr
- Modesto890 jobs$24.12/hr
- Stockton-Lodi780 jobs$23.60/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma680 jobs$29.13/hr
- Vallejo630 jobs$28.37/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara610 jobs$24.67/hr
- Salinas570 jobs$27.30/hr
- Visalia480 jobs$22.42/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles440 jobs$27.47/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville370 jobs$28.16/hr
- Chico290 jobs$23.16/hr
- Merced250 jobs$23.33/hr
- Redding240 jobs$23.31/hr
- Yuba City240 jobs$24.05/hr
- Napa230 jobs$28.97/hr
- Hanford-Corcoran200 jobs$24.03/hr
- El Centro130 jobs$26.95/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Dental Assistant (SOC 31-9091), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.