Dental Assistant Salary: Larger Salaries Give More Reasons To Switch Careers

Trends show that the dental assistant salary is supposed raise dramatically over the next seven years or so.Most jobs industries in the economy are suffering today, however, the dentistry field is exploding. Researchers for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected in 2010 that this industry is expected to grow approximately 40 percent by the year 2018. With the number of dental assistant jobs totaling almost 300,000, this would mean 120,000 jobs are expected to become available. As demand increases for these positions, this trend is also expected to raise these positions’ salaries.

For those interested in pursuing this position, there a number of statistics that might be important. In general, most oral assistants usually choose to work for local dentist clinics or offices. However, if the opportunity presents itself, it is more lucrative to work for the government or at a hospital. Statistics show that individuals who work in these environments other than a local dentist office earn, on average, a dental assistant salary of $4,000 to $5,000 more per year.

Another important statistic for those looking to enter the dental industry is the states that employ the highest number of jobs for this position. California employed the most amount of people in this industry in 2010 with around 44,400 workers. The next leading state was Texas with nearly 20,800 individuals employed in this field. Then Florida, New York, and Illinois rounded out the top five states with 17,000 to 11,000 individuals employed.

The listing for the top five states with the highest average dental assistant salary are:

District of Columbia

District of Colombia employed around 430 individuals that earned an average of $47,600 per year.

Alaska

Alaska employs around 1,140 individuals with a average yearly earning of $42,020.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire has around 1,540 employees that earn on average $41,600 each year.

Minnesota

Minnesota has 5,320 people working that make on average $41,170 per year.

Connecticut

Connecticut employs nearly 3,760 individuals that make an average for $40,100 each year.

The five metropolitan areas that earned the largest average dental assistant salary are:

Manchester, NH

Manchester has around 210 employees and they earn on average $46,820 each year.

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa employs nearly 740 individuals and each earns on average $44,690 per year.

Barnstable Town, MA

Barnstable Town has nearly 280 employees that make on average $44,570 each year.

Anchorage, AK

Anchorage employs around 680 individuals who earn an average of $43,680 per year.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco has about 2,670 individuals employed that take home a yearly average of $43,600.

These metropolitan areas and states are some of the top places that will yield the largest average dental assistant salary. Even with the economy continuing to struggle, the dental industry has a great outlook for the years to come.

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