May 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported dental assistant employment in the United States at more than 287,780.  The four-state Southwestern U.S. accounted for roughly 48,200 of those dental assistant jobs.  BLS data revealed the Southwestern U.S. to be a rather weak one for dental assistant pay, as only one state in the region registered a mean annual wage level for dental assistants that was better than the profession's national average of $48,225.  Moreover, all other states in the region ranked among the fifteen worst states in the nation for dental assistant mean annual wage levels. A deeper dive into May 2024 BLS data reveals the following details about dental assistant pay in the Southwestern U.S.:

Dental Assistant Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Mean Annual Wage	Wage Rank*
AZ	7,480	$50,040	17th
NM	2,010	$42,290	43rd
OK	4,540	$42,980	39th
TX	31,360	$42,520	41st
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 30, 2025