SOC 31-9091 · Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro

Dental Assistants Salary in Kalamazoo, MI

The average salary for dental assistants in Kalamazoo, Michigan is $47,740 a year ($22.95 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $46,920: half of the 280 people in this job in the Kalamazoo-Portage, MI metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% less than the U.S. average for this job ($50,200).

$47,740average per year

$22.95 / hourMedian $46,920Take-home ≈ $38,757

  • $36K10th
  • $45K25th
  • $47KMedian
  • $49K75th
  • $58K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

280people in this job
-5%vs U.S. average
#14 of 15Michigan metros
95cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Dental Assistants pay range in Kalamazoo

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,890 a year or less, while the top 10% make $57,570 or more. The middle half of dental assistants in Kalamazoo earn between $44,800 and $48,920.

  • $36K10th
  • $45K25th
  • $47KMedian
  • $49K75th
  • $58K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$47,740$3,978$22.95
Median$46,920$3,910$22.56
Entry level (25th percentile)$44,800$3,733$21.54
Experienced (75th percentile)$48,920$4,077$23.52

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Dental Assistants pay in Kalamazoo vs. Michigan and the U.S.

Dental assistants in Kalamazoo earn 4% less than the Michigan average ($49,650) and 5% less than the U.S. average ($50,200). At the median the gap is -2% against the U.S. median of $48,070.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Kalamazoo$47,740$46,920$35,890$57,570280
Michigan$49,650$48,820$37,110$58,90011,990
United States$50,200$48,070$37,130$62,250387,790

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Dental Assistants salary after taxes in Kalamazoo

On the average salary of $47,740, a single filer in Kalamazoo takes home about $38,757 a year, or $3,230 a month and $1,491 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

Michigan paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Kalamazoo a good place for dental assistants? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Kalamazoo area are 5% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 94.8), so the average $47,740 buys what about $50,337 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Kalamazoo ($48,510). A typical home costs $279,752, or 5.9 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $47,740 is worth in another city

Dental Assistants salary in other Michigan cities

Kalamazoo ranks 14th of 15 Michigan metro areas for this job; Grand Rapids pays the most ($55,120).

All Dental Assistants salaries in Michigan

Highest-paying cities for dental assistants

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($71,150).

Dental Assistants salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Dental Assistants in Kalamazoo, MI.

Dental Assistants salary in Kalamazoo: questions

How much do dental assistants make an hour in Kalamazoo?

$22.95 an hour on average, and $22.56 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level dental assistants salary in Kalamazoo?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,890 a year and the 25th percentile is $44,800, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the dental assistants take-home pay in Kalamazoo?

About $38,757 a year ($3,230 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $47,740.

Do dental assistants earn more in Kalamazoo than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% less than the U.S. average for this job ($50,200).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 31-9091; area Kalamazoo-Portage, MI (28020). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.9%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.92, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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