Salary · IA · SOC 31-9091

Dental Assistant salary in Iowa, per year and per hour

BLS data for May 2025. Median, mean, and percentile pay for dental assistants in Iowa, with every metro area BLS publishes.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, released May 15, 2026. Publisher page

Quick answer

The median pay for dental assistants in Iowa was $48,430 a year, or $23.28 an hour, in May 2025 (BLS). The middle 80% earned $39,360 to $59,580. About 3,210 were employed.

Run it in Rivvi

Benchmark dental assistant pay in Iowa

Benchmark in Rivvi

Free to start, no card. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams, with this question filled in.

Dental Assistant pay in Iowa vs the US

Dental Assistant wages in Iowa and the US, May 2025
Measure	IA annual	IA hourly	US annual
Median (50th percentile)	$48,430	$23.28	$48,070
Mean (average)	$50,450	$24.25	$50,200
10th percentile	$39,360	$18.92	$37,130
25th percentile	$45,990	$22.11	$44,340
75th percentile	$57,620	$27.70	$58,090
90th percentile	$59,580	$28.65	$62,250

Employment in Iowa: 3,210. Location quotient: 0.83 (1.0 = the national share of jobs).

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page

Dental Assistant salary by metro area in Iowa

Dental Assistant median wage by metro area, Iowa
Metro area	Median annual	Median hourly	Employed
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$50,020	$24.05	660
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	$47,410	$22.79	380
Cedar Rapids, IA	$48,310	$23.23	370
Iowa City, IA	$49,230	$23.67	280
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	$48,590	$23.36	190
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	$47,970	$23.06	170
Dubuque, IA	$47,850	$23.00	160
Ames, IA	$49,140	$23.63	110
Omaha, NE-IA	$48,020	$23.09	1,150

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page

Put this salary on your site

Free for career sites and schools. The box shows the BLS figures and period and links back here.

Dental Assistant salary in Iowa

Median pay: $48,430 a year ($23.28 an hour)

Middle 80% earn $39,360 to $59,580 a year

Employed: 3,210

BLS OEWS, May 2025. Source: Rivvi

HTML to paste on your site

<div style="font:14px/1.45 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#222;border:1px solid #E6E6EE;border-radius:12px;padding:14px 16px;max-width:360px;background:#fff"><div style="font-weight:600;font-size:15px;margin-bottom:6px">Dental Assistant salary in Iowa</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Median pay: <strong>$48,430</strong> a year ($23.28 an hour)</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Middle 80% earn $39,360 to $59,580 a year</div><div style="margin:2px 0">Employed: 3,210</div><div style="margin-top:8px;font-size:12px;color:#555">BLS OEWS, May 2025. Source: <a href="https://rivvi.ai/salary/dental-assistant/ia" style="color:#3C38C9">Rivvi</a></div></div>

Questions

How much does a Dental Assistant make per hour in Iowa?

The median hourly wage was $23.28 in May 2025, per BLS. The 10th percentile was $18.92 and the 90th was $28.65.

What is the average Dental Assistant salary in Iowa?

BLS reports a mean (average) of $50,450 a year and a median of $48,430 for May 2025. The median is the middle wage; the mean is pulled up by the highest earners.

Do dental assistants in Iowa earn more than the US median?

The Iowa median of $48,430 is 1% higher than the US median of $48,070 (BLS, May 2025).

How does Iowa rank for dental assistant pay?

Iowa ranks 21 of 50 states (plus DC) by median annual wage for dental assistants (BLS, May 2025).

Where do these numbers come from?

The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates, SOC 31-9091. Figures BLS did not publish are left out.