How Much Does a Dental Assistant Make in Merced, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Assistants in Merced, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Merced metro area
A typical Dental Assistant in Merced, California earns $23.33 per hour, or $48,520 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $4,043 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $45,270, and the top 10% of earners make over $60,320.
That pay is 3% below the California figure of $50,110 and 1% above the national figure of $48,070. Merced ranks 19th of 25 metro areas in California for Dental Assistant pay. About 250 Dental Assistants work in the Merced area.
Dental Assistant pay in Merced at a glance
- Typical pay is $23.33 an hour, or $48,520 a year.
- That is 3% below the California figure, ranking 19th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $45,270; the top 10% make over $60,320.
- Typical pay rose +60% from 2015 to 2025, against +35% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Assistant make in Merced?
Pay in Merced runs from entry-level positions at around $21.76 an hour to more than $29.00 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Dental Assistant pay by career stage in Merced
| Career stage | Merced | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $45,270$21.76 an hour | $38,790$18.65 an hour | $37,130$17.85 an hour |
| First years | $48,020$23.09 an hour | $46,270$22.25 an hour | $44,340$21.32 an hour |
| Typical Dental Assistant | $48,520$23.33 an hour | $50,110$24.09 an hour | $48,070$23.11 an hour |
| Experienced | $57,790$27.78 an hour | $60,670$29.17 an hour | $58,090$27.93 an hour |
| Top 10% | $60,320$29.00 an hour | $73,700$35.43 an hour | $62,250$29.93 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Merced area as BLS defines it
Dental Assistant pay growth in Merced
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Assistants in the Merced area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Dental Assistant pay in Merced was $30,390 a year. By 2025 it had reached $48,520, a change of +60%, compared with +35% for California over the same years.
How Merced compares with other California cities
Santa Clara pays Dental Assistants the most in California at $74,600 a year, $26,080 more than Merced. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $46,630.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Merced | Dental Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | $74,600 | $35.86 | +54% | 2,870 |
| 2 | Oakland metro incl. Fremont · San Francisco | $64,390 | $30.96 | +33% | 7,530 |
| 3 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $60,590 | $29.13 | +25% | 680 |
| 4 | Napa | $60,270 | $28.97 | +24% | 230 |
| 5 | Vallejo | $59,000 | $28.37 | +22% | 630 |
| 6 | Ventura metro incl. Thousand Oaks · Oxnard | $58,930 | $28.33 | +21% | 1,250 |
| 7 | Folsom metro incl. Sacramento · Roseville | $58,580 | $28.16 | +21% | 3,100 |
| 8 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $58,580 | $28.16 | +21% | 370 |
| 9 | Carlsbad metro incl. Chula Vista · San Diego | $58,120 | $27.94 | +20% | 4,260 |
| 10 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $57,150 | $27.47 | +18% | 440 |
| 11 | Salinas | $56,790 | $27.30 | +17% | 570 |
| 12 | El Centro | $56,050 | $26.95 | +16% | 130 |
| 13 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $51,310 | $24.67 | +6% | 610 |
| 14 | Modesto | $50,170 | $24.12 | +3% | 890 |
| 15 | Fresno | $50,040 | $24.06 | +3% | 1,360 |
| 16 | Yuba City | $50,030 | $24.05 | +3% | 240 |
| 17 | Hanford metro incl. Corcoran | $49,980 | $24.03 | +3% | 200 |
| 18 | Lodi metro incl. Stockton | $49,090 | $23.60 | +1% | 780 |
| 19 | Merced | $48,520 | $23.33 | this city | 250 |
| 20 | Ontario metro incl. Riverside · San Bernardino | $48,500 | $23.32 | 0% | 5,240 |
| 21 | Redding | $48,490 | $23.31 | 0% | 240 |
| 22 | Chico | $48,170 | $23.16 | -1% | 290 |
| 23 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $48,100 | $23.12 | -1% | 990 |
| 24 | Anaheim metro incl. Los Angeles · Long Beach | $46,900 | $22.55 | -3% | 21,090 |
| 25 | Visalia | $46,630 | $22.42 | -4% | 480 |
Every metro area in California with Dental Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $50,110
Is Merced a good place to work as a Dental Assistant?
Dental Assistant pay in Merced sits close to the national figure: $48,520 a year, 1% above the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Merced area, about 3.1 are Dental Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 2.5. That makes the local economy more reliant on Dental Assistants than most places, and turnover keeps positions opening through the year.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Dental Assistant make in Merced, CA?
- A typical Dental Assistant in Merced earns $48,520 a year, or $23.33 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $45,270 and the top 10% earn over $60,320.
- How much does a Dental Assistant make an hour in Merced?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Assistants in Merced is $23.33. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $21.76, and the top 10% earn over $29.00 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Assistant in Merced?
- Entry-level Dental Assistant positions in Merced typically offer around $21.76 an hour, or $45,270 a year.
- Is Dental Assistant pay in Merced higher than in the rest of California?
- Merced pay is 3% below the California figure of $50,110 a year, ranking 19th of 25 metro areas in the state. Santa Clara pays the most in California at $74,600.