PublicPay

Dental Assistant federal salary series 0681

Full-time federal employees in the Dental Assistant series earned a median of $60,553 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 45% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $54,773 and $67,057.

Median pay
$60,553
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$54,773–$67,057
25th–75th percentile
Employees
3,334
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Dental Assistant
All federal (full-time)

What shapes dental assistant pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-6 (1,907 employees, median $59,330). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (1,915 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($74,478) and lowest in Nevada ($54,113), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 31% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Dental Assistant pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Dental Assistant pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-4 75 $49,316 $46,448–$53,707
GS-5 816 $57,210 $53,514–$60,388
GS-6 1,907 $59,330 $54,490–$66,197
GS-7 348 $65,378 $61,225–$73,376
GS-8 126 $73,711 $67,057–$80,083

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Dental Assistant pay by agency

Dental Assistant pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 1,915 $60,553 $54,809–$67,563
Department of Health and Human Services 360 $61,096 $54,031–$66,332
Department of Justice 30 $61,972 $56,359–$66,599

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Dental Assistant pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Dental Assistant pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 236 $74,478 $66,685–$81,684
Texas 191 $57,188 $51,111–$62,867
Florida 175 $54,490 $51,463–$59,031
Arizona 136 $60,388 $55,416–$65,896
Oklahoma 117 $60,239 $53,707–$67,921
New Mexico 108 $61,096 $56,109–$66,332
North Carolina 92 $61,643 $56,206–$66,242
Illinois 89 $66,747 $61,185–$72,309
New York 83 $61,729 $58,750–$66,942
Pennsylvania 59 $58,682 $53,652–$61,711

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare dental assistant pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.0% from $59,346 in September 2025 to $60,553 in September 2026. Headcount went from 3,476 to 3,334 (−4.1%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

Related occupations in Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group