Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Dental Assistants
Industry profile for Dental Assistants
Geographic profile for Dental Assistants
National estimates for Dental Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Dental Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 347,170 |
1.2 % |
$ 20.44 |
$ 42,510 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Dental Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.22 |
$ 17.79 |
$ 18.59 |
$ 22.88 |
$ 28.63 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 29,580 |
$ 37,000 |
$ 38,660 |
$ 47,580 |
$ 59,540 |
Industry profile for Dental Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Dental Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Dental Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Dental Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Dentists |
318,100 |
32.76 |
$ 20.42 |
$ 42,460 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
6,420 |
0.65 |
$ 20.64 |
$ 42,920 |
| Offices of Physicians |
6,390 |
0.24 |
$ 19.35 |
$ 40,250 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
3,660 |
0.17 |
$ 22.10 |
$ 45,970 |
| Employment Services |
3,190 |
0.09 |
$ 20.14 |
$ 41,880 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Dental Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Dentists |
318,100 |
32.76 |
$ 20.42 |
$ 42,460 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
6,420 |
0.65 |
$ 20.64 |
$ 42,920 |
| Offices of Physicians |
6,390 |
0.24 |
$ 19.35 |
$ 40,250 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
3,660 |
0.17 |
$ 22.10 |
$ 45,970 |
| Employment Services |
3,190 |
0.09 |
$ 20.14 |
$ 41,880 |
Top paying industries for Dental Assistants:
Geographic profile for Dental Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Dental Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Dental Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Dental Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
48,090 |
2.91 |
1.18 |
$ 22.15 |
$ 46,060 |
| Texas |
33,040 |
2.70 |
1.10 |
$ 18.45 |
$ 38,370 |
| Florida |
21,390 |
2.49 |
1.01 |
$ 19.63 |
$ 40,820 |
| New York |
19,930 |
2.30 |
0.93 |
$ 21.59 |
$ 44,910 |
| Illinois |
12,340 |
2.20 |
0.89 |
$ 20.39 |
$ 42,400 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dental Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
1,150 |
3.87 |
1.57 |
$ 24.35 |
$ 50,640 |
| Utah |
6,000 |
3.86 |
1.57 |
$ 16.93 |
$ 35,210 |
| Idaho |
2,510 |
3.32 |
1.35 |
$ 17.43 |
$ 36,250 |
| Washington |
10,500 |
3.27 |
1.33 |
$ 22.29 |
$ 46,350 |
| New Mexico |
2,540 |
3.27 |
1.33 |
$ 18.17 |
$ 37,790 |
Top paying states for Dental Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Minnesota |
5,330 |
1.95 |
0.79 |
$ 25.52 |
$ 53,080 |
| Massachusetts |
8,550 |
2.52 |
1.02 |
$ 24.62 |
$ 51,210 |
| Alaska |
1,150 |
3.87 |
1.57 |
$ 24.35 |
$ 50,640 |
| New Hampshire |
1,380 |
2.17 |
0.88 |
$ 23.79 |
$ 49,470 |
| Oregon |
5,480 |
3.00 |
1.22 |
$ 23.45 |
$ 48,780 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Dental Assistants:
| 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 |
21,340 |
2.46 |
1.00 |
$ 21.83 |
$ 45,410 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
15,740 |
2.75 |
1.12 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,340 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
11,110 |
3.10 |
1.26 |
$ 18.81 |
$ 39,120 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
9,800 |
2.31 |
0.94 |
$ 20.98 |
$ 43,630 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,780 |
2.68 |
1.09 |
$ 18.00 |
$ 37,430 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
7,600 |
3.10 |
1.26 |
$ 18.95 |
$ 39,420 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
6,870 |
3.25 |
1.32 |
$ 20.58 |
$ 42,810 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
6,400 |
2.48 |
1.01 |
$ 25.16 |
$ 52,330 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
6,030 |
2.33 |
0.95 |
$ 19.96 |
$ 41,520 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,980 |
2.67 |
1.08 |
$ 26.51 |
$ 55,150 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dental Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
1,600 |
5.88 |
2.38 |
$ 16.74 |
$ 34,820 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX |
270 |
5.53 |
2.24 |
$ 17.06 |
$ 35,490 |
| St. George, UT |
370 |
4.96 |
2.01 |
$ 16.55 |
$ 34,420 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ |
250 |
4.81 |
1.95 |
$ 18.85 |
$ 39,200 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA |
200 |
4.60 |
1.87 |
$ 23.03 |
$ 47,900 |
| Fairbanks, AK |
160 |
4.54 |
1.84 |
$ 24.97 |
$ 51,940 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
500 |
4.44 |
1.80 |
$ 22.64 |
$ 47,100 |
| Modesto, CA |
800 |
4.41 |
1.79 |
$ 19.88 |
$ 41,350 |
| Idaho Falls, ID |
320 |
4.39 |
1.78 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,520 |
| Wenatchee, WA |
200 |
4.39 |
1.78 |
$ 20.92 |
$ 43,510 |
United States Department of Labor
