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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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: Top

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: Top

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:

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
Outpatient Care Centers 5,590 0.59 $19.55 $40,670
Offices of Physicians 7,710 0.29 $18.67 $38,840
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 3,690 0.18 $20.65 $42,950
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 440 0.14 $20.21 $42,040

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: Top

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