Dental assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

305k

Average Age

37.3

Estimated Job Growth

6.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$33,149

Average Male Salary

$59,698

Average Female Salary

$31,431

About

Dental assistants are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dental assistants was $33,149 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dental assistants by wage are Pharmacy technicians, Food & tobacco roasting, baking, & drying machine operators & tenders, and Shipping, receiving, & traffic clerks.

Dental assistants are part of the Healthcare Support Occupations, along with Home health aides, Personal care aides, Nursing assistants, Orderlies and psychiatric aides, Occupational therapy assistants & aides, and 9 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Dental assistants are Outer Green Bay City PUMA, WI, Doña Ana County (Outer) PUMA, NM, and Sweetwater RegionChula Vista City (East) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dental assistants are Doña Ana County (Outer) PUMA, NM, Lynn City, Swampscott & Nahant Towns PUMA, MA, and Boise (North & West) & Garden City Cities PUMA, ID.

Photo by Germanna CC

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Dental assistants and on wages and locations for those in the field. Offices of dentists is the industry that employs the most Dental assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dental assistants, by average wage, is Administration of human resource programs. Dental assistants are paid most in Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Doña Ana County (Outer) PUMA, NM.

Yearly Wage

$33,149

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,430

In 2020, Dental assistants earned an average of $33,149, $22,805 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Pharmacy technicians make somewhat more than Dental assistants while Shipping, receiving, & traffic clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dental assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.28

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Dental assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.28, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dental assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Dental assistants.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Dental assistants

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Dental assistants.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Dental assistants, by number of employees, are Offices of dentists, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Offices of physicians, Other health care services, Justice, public order, & safety activities , National security & international affairs, Administration of human resource programs, Home health care services, and U. S. Air Force.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dental assistants, by average wage, are Administration of human resource programs, U. S. Army, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Industries by Share

305k

2020 Workforce

± 13,545

0.413%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.26%

The number of people employed as Dental assistants has been growing at a rate of 0.413%, from 303,727 people in 2019 to 304,982 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Dental assistants employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dental assistants at 95.1%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 1.08% and Outpatient care centers with 0.883%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Dental assistants in the US. The average age of male Dental assistants in the workforce is 35.5 and of female Dental assistants is 37.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dental assistants is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

18.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,342

286k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 13,127

93.9% of Dental assistants are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Dental assistants.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dental assistants

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Other (Hispanic)

57.7% of Dental assistants are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 14.6% of Dental assistants, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dental assistants.

Age by Sex

35.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.4

37.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.59

The median age of Dental assistants is 37.3, and Male employees are generally 1.89 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Dental assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dental assistants is Health but a relatively high number of Dental assistants hold a major in Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Dental assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dental assistants need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Dental assistants need more than the average amount of Equipment Selection, Negotiation, and Management of Material Resources.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Dental Assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Dental Assistants are expected to see a growth of 6.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

6.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Dental Assistants. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.