Dental Assistants in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Dental Assistants pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA at a median of $47,970 per year ($23.06/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $48,070, the metro estimate is same as. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 170 dental assistants are employed across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls MSA in SOC 31-9091.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls pay distribution spans from $38,150 at the 10th percentile to $59,360 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $46,840 and the 75th at $57,520, so half of Waterloo-Cedar Falls-based dental assistants earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.