Career Predictions And Statistics For The Dental Assistant Salary

By Gavin Tontral


The objective of this article is to explain the dental assistant salary. The demand for dental assistants across the U.S is rapidly increasing each year with estimates showing that this field should expand by nearly 40 percent in the next seven years. This expansion would mean that around 120,000 positions would be created during this time. The added demand for jobs in this field would also mean a large jump in the salary for this position.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics records that the average wage for a dental assistant in 2010 was $16.41 hourly and $33,140 annually. For those in the top ten percent of this particular job, they averaged around $47,000 per year and nearly $22.60 per hour. Those in the bottom ten percent of this job averaged around $22,700 per year and near $10.90 per hour.

The large differences in the dental assistant salary estimates have several contributing factors. The amount of experience and level of education an individual has can play an impact on how much the individual earns during their career. Of course, a tenured assistant will earn a lot more annually than an entry-level worker. Also, those individuals who earn degrees are also usually earning more income than those who received certificates or diplomas from dental programs.

The state that one chooses to practice in also differ largely in the salaries they chose to pay workers. The amount of individuals employed in that state, the level of demand for those individuals in that state, and the region of the country that state lies all impact the resulting dental assistant salary. The top five highest average earnings by state for this field are:

District of Columbia- $22.90/hour $47,630/annually

Alaska- $20.20/hour $42,020/annually

New Hampshire- $20.02/hour $41,640/annually

Minnesota- $19.79/hour $41,170/annually

Connecticut- $19.32/hour $40,180/annually

The actual environment that one chooses to work in also has a big effect on the dental assistant salary. The different job industries all yield different incomes each year. Specialty hospitals and government jobs usually tend to bring bigger incomes than the same jobs in dental offices. The industries with the largest average earnings are:

Specialty Hospitals- $18.58/hour $38,650/annually

Federal Executive Branch- $18.33/hour $38,130/annually

State Government- $17.14/hour $35,650/annually

Psychiatric/ Substance Abuse Hospitals- $17.12/hour $36,610/annually

General Medical/ Surgical Hospitals- $17.12/hour $36,610/annually

While these numbers show the estimated average earnings for each job industry in different states, one must also take into account the multiple benefits that are associated with being a dental assistant. Most assistants receive paid vacations and also receive huge discounts on dental bills. This again is varied from state to state and relies heavily on whether you are a full-time employee or not.

When compared to the training involved, the dental assistant salary far outweighs the cost. The dental assistants across the US will continue to increase as the salaries for this position keep rising.




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