Best Dental Assistant Programs in New Mexico (2026)

Quick answer: Dental assistants in New Mexico earn a median of $44,400 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited dental assistant schools in New Mexico with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Programs sits within the New Mexico dental assistant workforce, served by accredited training providers. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $44,400 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

New Mexico Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$44,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
New Mexico pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$37,060 to $55,950BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying New Mexico metro for this fieldSanta Fe, NM, $47,160BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+6.4% growth, about 52,900 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment2,150 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
New Mexico location quotient0.99BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Dental assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the New Mexico figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 211 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Trinidad State College

Trinidad, CO 210.9 miles away BOC Score 54.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 55.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 1141
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,758 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Pima Medical Institute-Albuquerque

Albuquerque, NM 82.0 miles away BOC Score 53.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 63.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 14
  • Annual completions: 467
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $38,890 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Pima Medical Institute-El Paso

El Paso, TX 177.0 miles away BOC Score 53.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 53.5%
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 485
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,937 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Central New Mexico Community College

Albuquerque, NM 81.8 miles away BOC Score 51.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 30.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 89
  • Annual completions: 3611
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,652 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

University of New Mexico-Main Campus

Albuquerque, NM 82.4 miles away BOC Score 50.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 582
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,818 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

New Mexico State University-Dona Ana

Las Cruces, NM 151.8 miles away BOC Score 48.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 17.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 78
  • Annual completions: 842
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,874 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Santa Fe Community College

Santa Fe, NM 96.4 miles away BOC Score 46.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75
  • Annual completions: 534
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,855 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

El Paso Community College

El Paso, TX 176.8 miles away BOC Score 46.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 23.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 82
  • Annual completions: 1977
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $39,712 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Luna Community College

Las Vegas, NM 96.4 miles away BOC Score 43.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 63
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $38,111 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

University of New Mexico-Taos Campus

Ranchos de Taos, NM 145.8 miles away BOC Score 41.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 17
  • Annual completions: 189
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,818 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Carrington College-Albuquerque

Albuquerque, NM 83.8 miles away BOC Score 40.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 58.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 122
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $39,609 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Dental Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Dental Assistants
Dental Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $37130, P25 $44340, P50 $48070, P75 $58090, P90 $62250.10th$37,13025th$44,34050th (median)$48,07075th$58,09090th$62,250
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Dental Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$37,130
25th$44,340
50th (median)$48,070
75th$58,090
90th$62,250
Projected employment growth, United States, Dental Assistants, 2024-2034
Dental Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 381900; 2034 projected employment 406300; percent change +6.4%.2024381,900 jobs2034 (proj.)406,300 jobsChange: +6.4%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Dental Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024381,900
2034 projected406,300
Percent change+6.4%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does dental assistant training take in New Mexico?

Dental assistant certificate programs in New Mexico typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do dental assistants earn in New Mexico?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), dental assistants in New Mexico earned a median annual wage of approximately $44,400. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $37,060 to $55,950 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many dental assistant schools are in New Mexico?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)