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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
31-9091 Dental Assistants
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 351,470 |
0.9 % |
$19.79 |
$41,170 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$13.45 |
$16.08 |
$19.27 |
$23.34 |
$27.37 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$27,980 |
$33,440 |
$40,080 |
$48,550 |
$56,930 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Dentists |
317,690 |
32.90 |
$19.81 |
$41,200 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,710 |
0.29 |
$18.67 |
$38,840 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
5,590 |
0.59 |
$19.55 |
$40,670 |
| Employment Services |
3,850 |
0.10 |
$19.60 |
$40,760 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
3,690 |
0.18 |
$20.65 |
$42,950 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities |
70 |
0.01 |
$27.78 |
$57,770 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
(8) |
(8) |
$24.35 |
$50,640 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) |
1,260 |
0.06 |
$22.69 |
$47,200 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
(8) |
(8) |
$21.91 |
$45,560 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2,240 |
0.04 |
$21.09 |
$43,860 |
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
56,840 |
3.27 |
1.37 |
$20.81 |
$43,280 |
| Texas |
31,550 |
2.54 |
1.06 |
$18.57 |
$38,630 |
| Florida |
20,550 |
2.34 |
0.98 |
$19.10 |
$39,730 |
| New York |
19,520 |
2.05 |
0.86 |
$19.56 |
$40,680 |
| Illinois |
13,170 |
2.19 |
0.91 |
$19.36 |
$40,270 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Utah |
5,450 |
3.62 |
1.51 |
$15.74 |
$32,740 |
| New Mexico |
2,830 |
3.43 |
1.44 |
$17.94 |
$37,310 |
| California |
56,840 |
3.27 |
1.37 |
$20.81 |
$43,280 |
| Washington |
10,780 |
3.25 |
1.36 |
$21.94 |
$45,640 |
| Colorado |
8,390 |
3.13 |
1.31 |
$20.22 |
$42,050 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Minnesota |
5,740 |
1.99 |
0.83 |
$25.10 |
$52,220 |
| Alaska |
960 |
3.04 |
1.27 |
$23.73 |
$49,350 |
| New Hampshire |
1,350 |
2.04 |
0.85 |
$23.69 |
$49,280 |
| Massachusetts |
8,430 |
2.33 |
0.97 |
$23.45 |
$48,770 |
| North Dakota |
790 |
1.88 |
0.78 |
$22.66 |
$47,140 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
21,780 |
2.26 |
0.94 |
$20.47 |
$42,580 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
19,440 |
3.12 |
1.30 |
$19.18 |
$39,900 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
10,760 |
2.30 |
0.96 |
$19.72 |
$41,030 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
10,310 |
2.82 |
1.18 |
$20.16 |
$41,930 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,580 |
2.48 |
1.04 |
$17.54 |
$36,490 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,980 |
2.82 |
1.18 |
$24.76 |
$51,510 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
6,720 |
2.54 |
1.06 |
$18.84 |
$39,180 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,070 |
2.17 |
0.91 |
$24.15 |
$50,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,050 |
1.90 |
0.80 |
$23.01 |
$47,860 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
6,050 |
3.93 |
1.64 |
$18.06 |
$37,560 |
|
United States Department of Labor
