Dental assistants

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Total Workforce

291k

Average Age

37

Estimated Job Growth

19.5%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$32,253

Average Male Salary

$55,991

Average Female Salary

$30,400

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Dental assistants are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dental assistants was $32,253 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dental assistants by wage are Telephone operators, Upholsterers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Dental assistants are North Richland Hills (North) & Keller Cities PUMA, TX, Thornton & Federal Heights Cities PUMA, CO, and LA City (South/San Pedro) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dental assistants are Huntington Town (South) PUMA, NY, North Richland Hills (North) & Keller Cities PUMA, TX, and Buckhall & Sudley PUMA, VA.

Photo by Nadita Maria

Healthcare Support OccupationsService Occupations

Employment

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 Plano City (West) PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Huntington Town (South) PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$32,253

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,506

In 2017, Dental assistants earned an average of $32,253, $19,811 less than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Security guards & gaming surveillance officers make somewhat more than Dental assistants while Telephone operators make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dental assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.304

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Dental assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.304, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dental assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. Plano City (West) PUMA, TX

  2. Redding City PUMA, CA

  3. Rancho Cordova City PUMA, CA

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

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Dental assistants

  1. North Richland Hills (North) & Keller Cities PUMA, TX

  2. Huntington Town (South) PUMA, NY

  3. Indio, Coachella, Blythe & La Quinta (East) Cities PUMA, CA

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

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Dental assistants, by number of employees, are Offices of dentists, Hospitals, and Outpatient care centers.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dental assistants, by average wage, are Administration of human resource programs, Other health care services, and Hospitals.

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Industries by Share

291k

2017 Workforce

± 13,232

0.209%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.42%

The number of people employed as Dental assistants has been growing at a rate of 0.209%, from 290,425 people in 2016 to 291,031 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Dental assistants employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dental assistants at  94.2%, followed by Hospitals with 1.24% and Outpatient care centers with 0.943%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Dental assistants in the US. The average age of male Dental assistants in the workforce is 36.1 and of female Dental assistants is 37.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dental assistants is White.

Gender Composition

21.1k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,564

270k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 12,745

92.8% of Dental assistants are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Dental assistants.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dental assistants

  1. White

  2. Other

  3. Black

75.6% of Dental assistants are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.05% of Dental assistants, Other is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dental assistants.

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Age by Gender

36.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.14

37.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.587

The median age of Dental assistants is 37, and Male employees are generally 0.993 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

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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

  1. Health

  2. Biology

  3. Business

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Health

  2. Interdisciplinary Studies

  3. Biology

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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 Maintenance, Equipment Selection, and Repairing.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Dental assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Dental assistants are expected to see a growth of 19.5% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

19.5%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Dental assistants. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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