Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dental Assistant Salary: Statistics And Predictions For The Salary In This Career

Dental assistant salary is the subject of this article. Researchers for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projected in 2010 that the demand for dental assistants is supposed to raise by 38 percent by the year 2018. With 300,000 positions already filled in this field, this expansion would create around 120,000 more jobs for individuals. An increase in demand for this field will also mean an increase in average salary.

2010 records from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the average oral assistant salary was around $16.40 per hour and near $34,100 for the year. The top 10 percent of this job position averaged $47,000 annually and $22.60 per hour, while the bottom 10 percent of this job position averaged $22,700 and $10.90 per hour.

There are several factors that cause the large differences towards the dental assistant salary. The amount of experience and level of education an individual has can play an impact on how much the individual earns during their career. Of course, entry-level dental assistants will not earn nearly as much money as a tenured assistant. Also, those individuals who earn degrees are also usually earning more income than those who received certificates or diplomas from dental programs.

Another big factor in the amount individuals earn in this field are contributed to the state they choose to practice in.  All states vary in the salaries they produce for this particular job position. The demand level of this particular position in each state, and the area of the country that each state lies will both impact the dental assistant salary. The five largest average earnings by state for this position are:

District of Columbia-                $22.90/hour    $47,630/annually

Alaska-                        $20.20/hour    $42,020/annually

New Hampshire-                    $20.02/hour    $41,640/annually

Minnesota-                    $19.79/hour    $41,170/annually

Connecticut-                    $19.32/hour    $40,180/annually

The actual environment that one chooses to work in also has a big effect on the dental assistant salary. The different job industries all yield different incomes each year. Government jobs and specialty jobs tend to yield higher wages than jobs in dental offices or physician offices. The industries with the largest average earnings are:


Specialty Hospitals-                $18.58/hour    $38,650/annually

Federal Executive Branch-            $18.33/hour    $38,130/annually

State Government-                $17.14/hour    $35,650/annually

Psychiatric/ Substance Abuse Hospitals-        $17.12/hour    $36,610/annually

General Medical/ Surgical Hospitals-          $17.12/hour    $36,610/annually

While these numbers show the estimated average earnings for each job industry in different states, one must also take into account the multiple benefits that are associated with being a dental assistant. These benefits include large discounts on dental procedures and also paid vacations. This again is varied from state to state and relies heavily on whether you are a full-time employee or not.

When compared to the training involved, the dental assistant salary far outweighs the cost. The dental assistants across the US will continue to increase as the salaries for this position keep rising.

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