How Much Does a Dental Assistant Make in Fort Drum, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Assistants in Fort Drum, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Watertown · Fort Drum metro area
A typical Dental Assistant in Fort Drum, New York earns $20.68 per hour, or $43,010 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $3,584 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $36,920, and the top 10% of earners make over $49,440.
That pay is 11% below the New York figure of $48,110 and 11% below the national figure of $48,070. Fort Drum ranks 13th of 13 metro areas in New York for Dental Assistant pay. About 110 Dental Assistants work in the Watertown · Fort Drum area. Fort Drum is part of the Watertown · Fort Drum metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Watertown share these figures.
Dental Assistant pay in Fort Drum at a glance
- Typical pay is $20.68 an hour, or $43,010 a year.
- That is 11% below the New York figure, ranking 13th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $36,920; the top 10% make over $49,440.
- Typical pay rose +38% from 2015 to 2025, against +37% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Assistant make in Fort Drum?
Pay in Fort Drum runs from entry-level positions at around $17.75 an hour to more than $23.77 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the New York and national figures.
Dental Assistant pay by career stage in Fort Drum
| Career stage | Fort Drum | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $36,920$17.75 an hour | $36,410$17.50 an hour | $37,130$17.85 an hour |
| First years | $38,660$18.59 an hour | $44,730$21.51 an hour | $44,340$21.32 an hour |
| Typical Dental Assistant | $43,010$20.68 an hour | $48,110$23.13 an hour | $48,070$23.11 an hour |
| Experienced | $45,520$21.89 an hour | $58,630$28.19 an hour | $58,090$27.93 an hour |
| Top 10% | $49,440$23.77 an hour | $60,490$29.08 an hour | $62,250$29.93 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Watertown · Fort Drum area as BLS defines it
Dental Assistant pay growth in Fort Drum
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Assistants in the Watertown · Fort Drum area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Dental Assistant pay in Fort Drum was $31,210 a year. By 2025 it had reached $43,010, a change of +38%, compared with +37% for New York over the same years.
How Fort Drum compares with other New York cities
Elmira pays Dental Assistants the most in New York at $49,450 a year, $6,440 more than Fort Drum. The lowest-paying area in the state is Fort Drum at $43,010.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Fort Drum | Dental Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elmira | $49,450 | $23.78 | +15% | 40 |
| 2 | Poughkeepsie metro incl. Kiryas Joel · Newburgh | $49,120 | $23.62 | +14% | 620 |
| 3 | Rochester | $48,780 | $23.45 | +13% | 1,020 |
| 4 | New York | $48,430 | $23.29 | +13% | 20,870 |
| 5 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $48,220 | $23.18 | +12% | 970 |
| 6 | Ithaca | $48,170 | $23.16 | +12% | 100 |
| 7 | Kingston | $47,940 | $23.05 | +11% | 130 |
| 8 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $47,610 | $22.89 | +11% | 1,230 |
| 9 | Syracuse | $47,370 | $22.77 | +10% | 690 |
| 10 | Glens Falls | $47,070 | $22.63 | +9% | 110 |
| 11 | Utica metro incl. Rome | $46,560 | $22.38 | +8% | 250 |
| 12 | Binghamton | $44,840 | $21.56 | +4% | 270 |
| 13 | Fort Drum metro incl. Watertown | $43,010 | $20.68 | this city | 110 |
Every metro area in New York with Dental Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $48,110
Is Fort Drum a good place to work as a Dental Assistant?
Dental Assistants in Fort Drum earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $43,010 a year, 11% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Watertown · Fort Drum area, about 2.8 are Dental Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 2.6. Dental Assistant jobs make up about the same share of the job market as they do across the country.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Dental Assistant make in Fort Drum, NY?
- A typical Dental Assistant in Fort Drum earns $43,010 a year, or $20.68 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $36,920 and the top 10% earn over $49,440.
- How much does a Dental Assistant make an hour in Fort Drum?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Assistants in Fort Drum is $20.68. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $17.75, and the top 10% earn over $23.77 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Assistant in Fort Drum?
- Entry-level Dental Assistant positions in Fort Drum typically offer around $17.75 an hour, or $36,920 a year.
- Is Dental Assistant pay in Fort Drum higher than in the rest of New York?
- Fort Drum pay is 11% below the New York figure of $48,110 a year, ranking 13th of 13 metro areas in the state. Elmira pays the most in New York at $49,450.