Prevailing Wage for Dental Assistants
Prevailing wage requirements for Dental Assistants are set by the DOL under SOC code 31-9091, covering roles from Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) to Certified Registered Dental Assistant and Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA). The DOL establishes four experience-based wage levels, and the floor varies significantly depending on the city where the work is performed.
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Level 1 covers entry-level dental assistants with limited hands-on experience, typically recent graduates of accredited dental assisting programs. These candidates perform basic clinical support tasks under close supervision and have not yet accumulated substantial independent practice.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Dental Assistants. It applies to qualified candidates with one to three years of clinical experience who can prepare patients, assist during procedures, and manage sterilization protocols with moderate supervision.
Level 3 applies to experienced dental assistants who handle expanded functions such as coronal polishing, radiography, or chairside four-handed dentistry with minimal oversight. These candidates often hold state-specific expanded duty certifications.
Level 4 covers fully competent dental assistants in senior or lead roles, such as Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) positions requiring significant independent judgment, staff coordination, or cross-trained administrative responsibilities alongside clinical duties.
Prevailing Wage for Dental Assistants by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Dental Assistants and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your expanded-duty certification level
State-issued certifications like EFDA or EDDA often push a filing from Level 2 to Level 3. Employers who omit these credentials when selecting a wage level may underfile, which creates compliance risk during an H-1B or PERM audit.
Watch how dental groups handle multi-site work
Dental Service Organizations that place assistants across multiple clinic locations must file the prevailing wage for each worksite city. A single LCA listing a low-wage headquarters address when you work in a higher-wage metro does not satisfy DOL requirements.
Filter Migrate Mate by employers who have sponsored dental roles
Sponsorship for Dental Assistants is concentrated among large dental groups and hospital systems. Migrate Mate shows which employers have a documented H-1B or green card sponsorship history for clinical support roles, so you can focus on realistic targets.
Avoid confusing dental assistant wages with dental hygienist floors
Dental Hygienists file under SOC 29-1292 and carry a substantially higher prevailing wage floor. If an offer letter describes hygiene duties but titles the role as a dental assistant, the LCA wage level may be misclassified and underfiled.
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Find Jobs for Dental AssistantsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 31-9091.00 alongside Dental Assistants, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Prevailing Wage
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Prevailing Wage
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) positions fall under SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Certified Registered Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
Certified Registered Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Certified Registered Dental Assistant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Dental Assistant (DA) Prevailing Wage
Dental Assistant (DA) Prevailing Wage
Dental Assistant (DA) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Expanded Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
Expanded Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
Expanded Dental Assistant positions fall under SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA) Prevailing Wage
Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) Prevailing Wage
Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) Prevailing Wage
Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Oral Surgery Assistant Prevailing Wage
Oral Surgery Assistant Prevailing Wage
Oral Surgery Assistant positions fall under SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Orthodontic Assistant (Ortho Assistant) Prevailing Wage
Orthodontic Assistant (Ortho Assistant) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Orthodontic Assistant (Ortho Assistant) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) Prevailing Wage
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) Prevailing Wage
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Surgical Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
Surgical Dental Assistant Prevailing Wage
Surgical Dental Assistant positions fall under SOC 31-9091.00 (Dental Assistants). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the DOL set the prevailing wage for Dental Assistants?
The DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For SOC 31-9091, OFLC converts those survey results into four wage levels by applying percentile cutoffs to reported wages for the occupation in each specific area. Employers must use the OFLC Wage Search to retrieve the certified prevailing wage before filing an LCA.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
The four levels reflect increasing experience and independence. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision; Level 2 is qualified with moderate supervision and one to three years of experience; Level 3 is experienced with specialized certifications or expanded functions; Level 4 is fully competent in senior or lead roles. DOL, not the employer, defines these thresholds, so the job duties on the LCA must honestly reflect the work being performed.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same dental assistant role vary so much between cities?
OFLC calculates prevailing wages using regional OES survey data, so the wage floor reflects local labor market conditions rather than a national average. The LCA worksite rule requires the employer to use the wage for the city where the employee actually works, not the employer's headquarters. Dense dental markets in metro areas like San Jose or Minneapolis have significantly higher survey-based floors than rural or lower-cost regions.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored dental assistant position?
An LCA certified at a wage below the OFLC-determined prevailing wage does not satisfy DOL requirements. USCIS can deny an H-1B petition if the offered wage falls short of the required floor, and PERM applications with underfiled wages risk audit or denial. Employees already working under an approved petition are entitled to the wage stated on the LCA, and DOL Wage and Hour Division can pursue back-pay claims for shortfalls.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Dental Assistants position in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search, which lets you look up the current DOL prevailing wage by SOC code 31-9091 and metropolitan area. Enter the worksite zip code or metro area name to retrieve all four wage levels. To identify employers who have historically sponsored dental assistant roles in a target location, Migrate Mate lets you filter by role and city to see sponsorship history for specific companies.
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