Data released recently from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of May 2024, more than 287,000 dental assistants were working in the United States.  About 24,000 dental assistants at work in May 2024 lived in the seven-state Great Plains region of the country.  BLS data reveals much disparity in the Great Plains region for dental assistant pay.  Dental assistants in Minnesota enjoy the highest average annual mean wage in the country, and North Dakota is another top 10 state for dental assistant annual mean wages.  However, about 53% of the region's dental assistants work in one of three states that rank 31st or worse for average annual mean wages for the profession.  A deeper dive into May 2024 BLS data details the following about dental assistant pay in the Great Plains region of the U.S.:

Dental Assistant Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	3,540	$49,020	24th
KS	3,020	$42,490	42nd
MN	5,590	$63,680	1st
MO	7,380	$45,390	37th
NE	2,360	$46,300	31st
ND	920	$54,720	7th
SD	1,240	$49,080	23rd
U.S.	287,780	$48,225	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 5, 2025