Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

31-9091 Dental Assistants

Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.

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)
327,290 0.9 % $18.22 $37,890 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.24 $14.62 $17.76 $21.72 $25.00
Annual Wage (2) $25,460 $30,410 $36,940 $45,170 $52,000

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 298,320 32.52 $18.20 $37,860
Offices of Physicians 6,670 0.26 $17.14 $35,650
Outpatient Care Centers 4,270 0.51 $18.20 $37,860
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 3,930 0.19 $19.51 $40,570
Employment Services 3,410 0.09 $19.12 $39,770

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 298,320 32.52 $18.20 $37,860
Outpatient Care Centers 4,270 0.51 $18.20 $37,860
Offices of Physicians 6,670 0.26 $17.14 $35,650
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 3,930 0.19 $19.51 $40,570
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 3,220 0.11 $18.65 $38,780

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 120 0.05 $20.55 $42,750
State Government (OES Designation) 1,360 0.06 $20.28 $42,180
Management of Companies and Enterprises 140 0.01 $20.09 $41,790
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 3,930 0.19 $19.51 $40,570
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 110 0.05 $19.48 $40,510

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 48,350 3.03 1.30 $18.82 $39,150
Texas 28,210 2.40 1.03 $17.20 $35,770
New York 20,050 2.20 0.95 $17.55 $36,500
Florida 17,970 2.19 0.94 $17.99 $37,420
Illinois 12,280 2.08 0.89 $18.20 $37,860




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)
Alaska 1,360 4.22 1.81 $21.82 $45,390
Utah 5,010 3.65 1.56 $14.63 $30,440
Washington 10,320 3.37 1.44 $19.49 $40,530
Idaho 2,110 3.17 1.36 $16.75 $34,840
New Mexico 2,530 3.15 1.35 $16.27 $33,830




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Minnesota 5,630 2.00 0.86 $22.70 $47,210
New Hampshire 1,300 2.02 0.87 $22.14 $46,050
Alaska 1,360 4.22 1.81 $21.82 $45,390
District of Columbia 650 0.93 0.40 $21.72 $45,180
Massachusetts 7,690 2.22 0.95 $21.19 $44,070





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-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 14,640 2.22 0.95 $17.61 $36,630
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 11,720 2.78 1.19 $18.06 $37,560
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 7,660 2.11 0.90 $18.40 $38,280
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 6,770 2.31 0.99 $17.02 $35,390
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 6,490 2.67 1.15 $18.24 $37,930
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 6,340 2.48 1.06 $18.65 $38,790
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 5,300 3.39 1.45 $17.55 $36,500
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 5,290 2.12 0.91 $20.93 $43,540
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 4,670 2.94 1.26 $20.28 $42,190
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 4,560 2.36 1.01 $18.68 $38,860