A dental assistant in blue gloves and a hair cover adjusts the light over a patient's chair

Dental assistant programs by state

952 dental assistant programs in all 50 states and 2 territories, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

779 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Compare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

Dental assistants care for patients, take x-rays, keep records and schedule appointments. Many programs take about a year and lead to a certificate or diploma, and some states require you to graduate from an accredited program and pass an exam.¹

Compare dental assistant programs by state: cost, pay and results

Dental assistant programs by state
State	Programs	Most cost	Earned a year, estimated	Working 6 months later	Finished
Alabama	12	$1,474 to $8,050	about $18,700	Not reported	86%
Alaska	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arizona	34	$4,107 to $12,096	about $31,800	87%	79%
Arkansas	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
California	68	$2,038 to $11,436	about $35,300	73%	86%
Colorado	16	$3,449 to $5,650	Not reported	Not reported	93%
Connecticut	8	$3,897 to $4,736	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Delaware	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Florida	46	$3,600 to $14,500	about $27,900	82%	80%
Georgia	31	$3,825 to $7,108	about $24,200	80%	80%
Hawaii	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Idaho	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Illinois	33	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Indiana	60	$1,949 to $6,058	about $26,000	79%	77%
Iowa	11	$7,882 to $12,076	about $27,700	88%	67%
Kansas	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Kentucky	15	Not reported	about $22,000	78%	86%
Louisiana	23	$2,995 to $10,145	about $17,700	Not reported	Not reported
Maine	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maryland	15	$1,769 to $6,117	about $26,800	80%	75%
Massachusetts	14	$3,850 to $6,005	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Michigan	39	$3,874 to $16,297	about $25,800	81%	62%
Minnesota	16	$8,325 to $10,594	about $33,700	85%	55%
Mississippi	7	$1,678 to $11,482	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Missouri	20	$3,398 to $9,755	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Montana	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nebraska	10	$4,000 to $6,928	Not reported	93%	82%
Nevada	18	$2,759 to $7,154	Not reported	Not reported	73%
New Hampshire	16	$318 to $2,248	about $33,100	Not reported	94%
New Jersey	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Mexico	18	$3,250 to $4,838	about $25,900	80%	100%
New York	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Carolina	35	$2,811 to $3,830	about $31,000	84%	85%
North Dakota	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Ohio	69	$3,195 to $7,834	about $27,200	83%	95%
Oklahoma	13	$1,310 to $5,357	about $37,100	Not reported	92%
Oregon	10	$7,768 to $10,791	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Pennsylvania	24	$3,432 to $11,283	Not reported	Not reported	92%
Puerto Rico	6	$8,096 to $16,332	Not reported	Not reported	88%
Rhode Island	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Carolina	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Dakota	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Tennessee	31	$2,938 to $7,212	about $25,600	87%	90%
Texas	79	$2,400 to $9,150	about $24,800	77%	93%
US Virgin Islands	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Utah	9	$2,878 to $3,893	about $29,700	Not reported	87%
Vermont	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Virginia	17	$2,499 to $7,615	about $30,000	71%	97%
Washington	55	$3,396 to $7,100	about $34,200	84%	86%
West Virginia	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Wisconsin	18	$2,988 to $6,223	about $30,800	85%	75%
Wyoming	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer dental assistant programs too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Are there free dental assistant programs in the US?

WIOA funding can pay for dental assistant programs in the US

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁴

Or pay for dental assistant programs yourself

Without funding, prices differ by state: most dental assistant programs cost $318 to $2,248 in New Hampshire and $8,096 to $16,332 in Puerto Rico. Each state's page lists every program with its price.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the dental assisting program numbers by state come from

Which dental assisting programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁵ Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where too few programs report a figure, the table says "Not reported".

Other training by state

Approved programs per trade across every state. Each opens that trade's comparison by state.

Sources for the facts about dental assistant programs

Show the 5 sourcesHide the sources