How much do Dental Assistants make in Salem, OR?

Percentile spread

For Dental Assistants, the published 10th percentile is $49,040 and the 90th percentile is $71,750. The difference is $22,710, which is 38.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $57,810 to the 75th at $62,190, covers $4,380.

The mean annual wage is $59,080, which sits below the median of $59,210. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Salem, OR median is 23.2% higher than the national median of $48,070 for Dental Assistants. In 2024 national prices the local median is $57,125, which is 18.8% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.5% lower than the Oregon median of $59,490.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Salem, OR is 103.649, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $59,210 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Dental Assistants at $57,125 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

12 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Dental Assistants. Salem, OR ranks 4th of 13 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Albany, OR is 34 miles away, with a median of $57,180 and employment of 130. That median is 3.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $56,004, against $57,125 here.
• Corvallis, OR is 38 miles away, with a median of $57,080 and employment of 100. That median is 3.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $54,876, against $57,125 here.
• Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA is 52 miles away, with a median of $59,890 and employment of 4,120. That median is 1.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $56,810, against $57,125 here.

Employment share

Dental Assistants accounts for 0.30% of wage-and-salary employment in Salem, OR (570 of 188,620). Nationally the occupation is 0.25% of employment (387,790 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.21 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.