Dental Assisting & Hygiene Support programs: earnings, debt and schools by state
1,014 certificate and associate-degree programs at 751 U.S. schools teach dental assistants and related dental support staff. Federal data shows what past graduates earned and borrowed. Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (CIP 51.06) mainly covers dental assisting and lab-technology programs.
Best-paying dental assisting programs (one year after completion)
Ranked by the median earnings of completers working and not enrolled, among programs with at least 10 earners reported. High earnings can reflect local labor markets and who enrolls, so compare debt and completion too.
| School | City | Program | Credential | Completers/yr | 1-yr earnings | Median debt | Monthly payment* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pima Medical Institute-Tucson | Tucson, AZ | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | – | $96,312 | $32,500 | $369 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Seattle | Seattle, WA | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 34 | $96,312 | $32,500 | $369 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Houston | Houston, TX | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 34 | $96,312 | $32,500 | $369 |
| College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 13 | $95,035 | – | – |
| Fortis College-Landover | Landover, MD | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 30 | $92,734 | $27,255 | $310 |
| Fortis Institute-Wayne | Wayne, NJ | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | – | $92,734 | $27,255 | $310 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa, CA | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 22 | $89,046 | – | – |
| Community College of Denver | Denver, CO | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 24 | $87,752 | $21,000 | $239 |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale, VA | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 24 | $87,357 | $21,000 | $239 |
| Mt Hood Community College | Gresham, OR | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 17 | $86,869 | $17,500 | $199 |
| Austin Community College District | Austin, TX | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 25 | $84,882 | – | – |
| Tulsa Community College | Tulsa, OK | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 13 | $83,693 | – | – |
| Concorde Career College-Garden Grove | Garden Grove, CA | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 23 | $82,504 | $30,500 | $347 |
| Middlesex College | Edison, NJ | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 24 | $82,478 | $21,000 | $239 |
| Concorde Career College-Aurora | Aurora, CO | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate degree | 24 | $82,129 | $25,250 | $287 |
*Scorecard's estimated monthly payment on the median debt over 10 years. “Not reported” means the Department suppressed or did not publish the figure.
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Dental Assisting programs by state
| State | Programs | Schools | Median 1-yr earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 18 | 11 | $30,064 | $13,000 |
| Alaska | 5 | 3 | $33,817 | $12,770 |
| Arizona | 26 | 19 | $32,195 | $9,500 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 3 | not reported | – |
| California | 133 | 97 | $31,959 | $9,500 |
| Colorado | 20 | 15 | $37,098 | $12,826 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 7 | $71,011 | $17,500 |
| Delaware | 3 | 3 | $46,836 | $19,476 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 1 | not reported | – |
| Florida | 69 | 49 | $36,536 | $13,000 |
| Georgia | 33 | 24 | $43,195 | $18,500 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 2 | not reported | – |
| Idaho | 8 | 5 | $52,273 | $18,861 |
| Illinois | 27 | 23 | $61,124 | $11,564 |
| Indiana | 16 | 13 | $30,333 | $9,500 |
| Iowa | 16 | 10 | $43,533 | $12,950 |
| Kansas | 9 | 6 | $64,467 | $19,477 |
| Kentucky | 12 | 9 | $30,240 | $9,500 |
| Louisiana | 16 | 15 | $23,145 | $5,961 |
| Maine | 2 | 1 | not reported | $26,616 |
| Maryland | 14 | 10 | $36,230 | $20,999 |
| Massachusetts | 15 | 11 | $72,683 | $19,500 |
| Michigan | 38 | 32 | $29,968 | $9,500 |
| Minnesota | 29 | 16 | $50,150 | $17,124 |
| Mississippi | 16 | 11 | $36,533 | $13,000 |
| Missouri | 16 | 12 | $34,917 | $12,314 |
| Montana | 3 | 2 | $68,395 | $24,000 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 5 | $43,778 | $10,500 |
| Nevada | 11 | 9 | $31,016 | $9,389 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 1 | $78,914 | $15,400 |
| New Jersey | 22 | 18 | $37,627 | $11,737 |
| New Mexico | 14 | 10 | $45,310 | $9,791 |
| New York | 24 | 19 | $54,515 | $15,500 |
| North Carolina | 37 | 25 | $42,142 | $15,250 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 1 | $47,594 | $18,500 |
| Ohio | 49 | 41 | $31,481 | $13,514 |
| Oklahoma | 11 | 10 | $34,890 | $9,786 |
| Oregon | 16 | 12 | $41,618 | $17,500 |
| Pennsylvania | 33 | 25 | $60,100 | $21,188 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 2 | $57,598 | $15,978 |
| South Carolina | 17 | 10 | $46,494 | $18,731 |
| South Dakota | 5 | 4 | $37,325 | $6,766 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 24 | $30,479 | $11,610 |
| Texas | 66 | 52 | $31,174 | $9,500 |
| Utah | 11 | 10 | $47,114 | $20,014 |
| Vermont | 1 | 1 | not reported | $23,479 |
| Virginia | 21 | 15 | $31,576 | $14,750 |
| Washington | 29 | 18 | $37,188 | $9,500 |
| West Virginia | 12 | 9 | $31,039 | $10,730 |
| Wisconsin | 27 | 17 | $60,225 | $15,870 |
| Wyoming | 3 | 3 | $71,210 | $21,312 |
States with fewer than three programs have no detail page.
What to know before you enroll
Dental assisting rules are set by each state's dental board; some states allow on-the-job training while others require a program, a registration or an exam.
Questions to ask every school
- Does this program satisfy my state's dental board rules?
- Does it prepare me for the national DANB exam?
- How many clinical hours are included?
For national pay and job outlook, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics profile: Dental Assistants.
Frequently asked questions
How much do dental assisting graduates earn?
Among 515 dental assisting programs that report earnings, the median first-year figure is $35,858 for certificate programs ($31,039) and $65,056 for associate programs. These are medians of past graduates and vary by state and employer.
How much debt do dental assisting students take on?
The median federal loan debt among borrowers across programs reporting it is $11,509. Many students in short programs borrow nothing; the figure only covers borrowers.
Is the data current?
It comes from the College Scorecard release dated October 15, 2026. The Department updates it annually and each figure describes graduates from earlier years.
Can I trust a school's own job-placement claims?
Treat them as a starting point. Ask for the placement rate definition, the number of graduates counted and the time window, then compare with the federal earnings above.
Related programs
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study and Institution files (release dated 10/15/2026). Earnings are median annual earnings of completers working and not enrolled one year after finishing; debt is median federal loan debt of borrowers; both describe past cohorts and small programs are suppressed by the Department. See our methodology.