Dental Assistant Salary
What is the salary of a dental assistant?
A dental assistant’s salary depends on various factors but the three big ones are geographical location, experience, and the dentist’s or companies discretion. A registered or certified dental assistant’s salary is often higher than those that are not because of the increased job requirements but this depends on each state’s rules pertaining to dental assisting. Also it depends on the individual dentist or company to determine the degree of participation a dental assistant has in the practice and how much they are willing to pay. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics May 2009 report shows the average annual wage of dental assistants was $34,000 with a mean per hourly pay of $16.35. The hourly wage ranged from less than $11.92 to over $21.94.
Looking at dental assistants wages at the state level shows the major difference in earnings by geographical location to meet the cost of living and other factors. West Virginia and Mississippi had some of the lowest average hourly wage numbers at $11.92 and $12.86 while Alaska and Minnesota had two of the highest at $20.99 and $19.96. These numbers are good for showing what the starting salary for a dental assistant maybe in these states as well as how much a dental assistant can make.
Dental Assistant Salary by State
Occupation: Dental Assistants (SOC code 319091)
Period: May 2009
| State | Employment(1) | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage(2) |
|
Alabama |
2910 | $13.75 | $28,590 |
|
Alaska |
960 | $20.99 | $43,670 |
|
Arizona |
6340 | $16.84 | $35,020 |
|
Arkansas |
2570 | $13.26 | $27,580 |
|
California |
45920 | $16.97 | $35,290 |
|
Colorado |
5790 | $17.66 | $36,730 |
|
Connecticut |
3540 | $19.07 | $39,660 |
|
Delaware |
710 | $18.02 | $37,480 |
|
D.C. |
450 | $21.94 | $45,630 |
|
Florida |
15110 | $16.27 | $33,840 |
|
Georgia |
7750 | $16.35 | $34,010 |
|
Guam |
140 | $12.44 | $25,870 |
|
Hawaii |
1700 | $14.49 | $30,140 |
|
Idaho |
1970 | $13.95 | $29,020 |
|
Illinois |
11880 | $16.08 | $33,440 |
|
Indiana |
5690 | $16.48 | $34,270 |
|
Iowa |
2830 | $15.90 | $33,070 |
|
Kansas |
2880 | $15.92 | $33,110 |
|
Kentucky |
3950 | $15.19 | $31,600 |
|
Louisiana |
3830 | $13.45 | $27,980 |
|
Maine |
1010 | $17.10 | $35,570 |
|
Maryland |
4890 | $16.91 | $35,170 |
|
Massachusetts |
6450 | $19.58 | $40,730 |
|
Michigan |
9390 | $16.45 | $34,210 |
|
Minnesota |
5340 | $19.96 | $41,510 |
|
Mississippi |
1990 | $12.86 | $26,750 |
|
Missouri |
5250 | $16.22 | $33,740 |
|
Montana |
1130 | $14.64 | $30,450 |
|
Nebraska |
1740 | $14.00 | $29,120 |
|
Nevada |
2540 | $15.22 | $31,650 |
|
New Hampshire |
1490 | $19.67 | $40,910 |
|
New Jersey |
9350 | $17.80 | $37,020 |
|
New Mexico |
1940 | $15.00 | $31,190 |
|
New York |
16160 | $16.34 | $33,990 |
|
North Carolina |
8320 | $16.87 | $35,090 |
|
North Dakota |
610 | $15.71 | $32,670 |
|
Ohio |
9990 | $15.54 | $32,330 |
|
Oklahoma |
3620 | $14.17 | $29,480 |
|
Oregon |
4660 | $17.99 | $37,430 |
|
Pennsylvania |
10910 | $15.32 | $31,870 |
|
Puerto Rico |
2210 | $7.89 | $16,410 |
|
Rhode Island |
1000 | $16.63 | $34,590 |
|
South Carolina |
3530 | $15.35 | $31,920 |
|
South Dakota |
810 | $14.32 | $29,790 |
|
Tennessee |
5430 | $15.23 | $31,690 |
|
Texas |
19620 | $14.95 | $31,100 |
|
Utah |
4290 | $13.45 | $27,970 |
|
Vermont |
470 | $17.18 | $35,730 |
|
Virgin Islands |
50 | $13.73 | $28,550 |
|
Virginia |
7680 | $16.70 | $34,730 |
|
Washington |
9680 | $18.02 | $37,480 |
|
West Virginia |
1440 | $11.92 | $24,790 |
|
Wisconsin |
6020 | $16.18 | $33,650 |
|
Wyoming |
500 | $13.90 | $28,900 |
|
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Footnotes:
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by 2,080 hours; where an hourly mean wage is not published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
