Dental Assistant Salary: Expectations Indicate That The Salary Should Increase Rapidly
Over the next seven years the dental assistant salary is projected to rise substantially.The field of dentistry is continuing to expand in an economy where most job industries are suffering. An estimate taken in 2010 by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the dental field is projected to increase by around 38 to 40 percent by the year of 2018. Dental assistant jobs in the US already total nearly 300,000. This means 120,000 positions are going to be produced. An increase in demand for these job positions would cause a huge increase in the salaries paid to individuals in this field.
For those interested in pursuing this position, there a number of statistics that might be important. The vast majority of individuals that enter the oral assistant position wind up working in a local clinic or dentist office. However, these individuals can earn more money by working for hospitals or the federal government if the opportunity becomes available. Statistics show that individuals who work in these environments other than a local dentist office earn, on average, a dental assistant salary of $4,000 to $5,000 more per year.
Another statistic that might be of importance is the states that have the highest employment for this position. California, as of 2010, had the largest amount of people employed with around 44,400. Texas followed with around 20,800 people employed as assistants. Then New York, Florida, and Illinois followed with between 17,000 and 11,000 people employed.
The top five states that had the largest dental assistant salary are:
District of Columbia
District of Columbia has nearly 430 individuals employed earning on average $47,630 per year.
Alaska
Alaska has nearly 1,140 people employed who earn on average roughly $42,000 each year.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire employs nearly 1,540 people who make an average of $41,640 per year.
Minnesota
Minnesota has 5,320 people working that make on average $41,170 per year.
Connecticut
Connecticut has around 3,760 people employed who earn an average of $40,180 per year.
The five metropolitan areas that earned the largest average dental assistant salary are:
Manchester, NH
Manchester has around 210 employees and they earn on average $46,820 each year.
Santa Rosa, CA
Santa Rosa has around 740 employees that earn a yearly average of $44,700.
Barnstable Town, MA
Barnstable Town has around 280 people employed that earn on average $44,600 per year.
Anchorage, AK
Anchorage employs around 680 individuals who earn an average of $43,680 per year.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco has about 2,670 individuals employed that take home a yearly average of $43,600.
These states and metropolitan areas are the best opportunities to earn the highest average dental assistant salary. With the economy still struggling, the dental industry, in contrast, has a great projection for future years.
Learn more about the dental assistant salary. Stop by Brian Underwood’s site where you can find out all about related dental assistant training information.