Dental Assistants vs Medical Assistants
Dental Assistants earns $2,380 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Dental Assistants | Medical Assistants | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $48,070 | $45,690 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $37,130 to $62,250 | $36,050 to $59,310 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 1 | 1 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Jobs opening up each year | 53,000 | 109,700 |
| Growth by 2035 | 7.4% | 12.9% |
| People doing it now | 388,600 | 833,900 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $65,270 in Minnesota down to $37,760 in Utah | $59,290 in Washington down to $35,360 in Mississippi |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Dental Assistants
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Assistants
- Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
- Surgical Assistants
- Endoscopy Technicians
- Dental Laboratory Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Medical Assistants
- Surgical Assistants
- Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
- Registered Nurses
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
- Physical Therapist Aides
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- Registered NursesUsually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience. +$49,400 a year more at the middle.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2025, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.