Dentist Assistant Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

A count of all the dentist assistants in the US adds up to about 280,000 positions. The jobless rate for workers is rated as very low. Approximately 2% of employees were not able to obtain work in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Employees are most common (per capita) in Hanford (California), Hinesville (Georgia), and Pocatello (Idaho), and least common in Champaign (Illinois), Montgomery (Alabama), and Dalton (Georgia).

Framingham (Massachusetts), Santa Rosa (California), and Lowell (Massachusetts) offer the highest pay for this career, and Florence (Alabama), McAllen (Texas), and Logan (Utah) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

Moderate-term on-the-job training is suggested for those who want to pursue this career. About 9% of employees have earned a degree. Those that started college, but did not earn a bachelor's degree, represent about 58% of dentist assistants. Workers with a high school education, but no college education, are about 34% of the total. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government stats show that 36% of dentist assistants are working part-time.

Dentist Assistants: An Introductory Video

Dentist Assistants Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of dentist assistants compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for dentist assistants.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$28,000	810
Huntsville	$30,000	320
Mobile	$26,000	290
Montgomery	$26,000	170
Tuscaloosa	$27,000	140
Dothan	$27,000	120
Florence	$25,000	90
Auburn	$26,000	80
Anniston	$32,000	70
Decatur	$26,000	70
Gadsden	$31,000	60

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$42,000	480
Fairbanks	$39,000	110

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$35,000	4,370
Tucson	$35,000	620
Prescott	$35,000	160
Flagstaff	$30,000	130
Kingman	$28,000	110
Yuma	$31,000	90

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$29,000	620
Fayetteville	$28,000	470
Fort Smith	$26,000	280
Hot Springs	$27,000	130
Jonesboro	$26,000	100
Pine Bluff	$25,000	70

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Santa Ana	$33,000	5,480
Riverside	$30,000	4,280
San Diego	$34,000	3,740
San Jose	$39,000	3,030
Oakland	$40,000	2,930
San Francisco	$41,000	2,690
Sacramento	$38,000	2,520
Fresno	$33,000	1,200
Oxnard	$35,000	1,110
Stockton	$32,000	840
Bakersfield	$27,000	770
Santa Barbara	$34,000	710
Santa Rosa	$46,000	710
Modesto	$29,000	630
Vallejo	$36,000	540
Salinas	$38,000	490
Visalia	$33,000	490
Santa Cruz	$33,000	360
San Luis Obispo	$34,000	350
Chico	$28,000	330
Redding	$31,000	250
Napa	$37,000	210
Hanford	$31,000	180
Yuba City	$33,000	170
El Centro	$31,000	160
Merced	$33,000	140
Madera	$35,000	130

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$39,000	2,720
Colorado Springs	$33,000	990
Boulder	$37,000	380
Fort Collins	$37,000	350
Pueblo	$33,000	180
Grand Junction	$30,000	150
Greeley	$34,000	150

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$39,000	1,260
Bridgeport	$39,000	860
New Haven	$42,000	490
Norwich	$37,000	290
Waterbury	$41,000	170
Danbury	$36,000	160

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$35,000	630
Dover	$32,000	140

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$36,000	4,680

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$35,000	2,070
Miami	$30,000	1,840
Orlando	$35,000	1,770
Fort Lauderdale	$33,000	1,600
West Palm Beach	$37,000	1,380
Jacksonville	$34,000	1,210
Sarasota	$34,000	650
Palm Bay	$32,000	540
Deltona	$29,000	420
Cape Coral	$41,000	410
Pensacola	$30,000	370
Lakeland	$30,000	330
Gainesville	$36,000	290
Naples	$42,000	240
Tallahassee	$32,000	230
Ocala	$33,000	200
Fort Walton Beach	$33,000	200
Port St Lucie	$35,000	180
Sebastian	$33,000	140
Punta Gorda	$34,000	130
Panama City	$29,000	110

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$36,000	4,660
Augusta	$29,000	550
Savannah	$28,000	390
Columbus	$31,000	300
Athens	$28,000	190
Macon	$32,000	130
Warner Robins	$30,000	120
Valdosta	$29,000	120
Gainesville	$32,000	110
Albany	$26,000	110
Rome	$29,000	100
Brunswick	$33,000	70
Dalton	$33,000	60
Hinesville	$29,000	60

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$29,000	1,180

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$30,000	820
Idaho Falls	$29,000	210
Pocatello	$30,000	150
Coeur Dalene	$29,000	150
Lewiston	$29,000	70

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$33,000	8,230
Rockford	$32,000	340
Peoria	$30,000	290
Springfield	$33,000	180
Decatur	$30,000	140
Kankakee	$29,000	110
Champaign	$30,000	100
Bloomington	$38,000	90
Danville	$30,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$36,000	1,760
Gary	$32,000	640
Fort Wayne	$33,000	430
South Bend	$36,000	350
Evansville	$33,000	320
Lafayette	$26,000	190
Bloomington	$37,000	170
Elkhart	$29,000	150
Anderson	$32,000	120
Muncie	$31,000	120
Terre Haute	$26,000	110
Kokomo	$32,000	90
Columbus	$29,000	80
Michigan City	$32,000	70

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$35,000	510
Davenport	$31,000	380
Cedar Rapids	$36,000	270
Iowa City	$31,000	240
Waterloo	$33,000	200
Sioux City	$30,000	190
Dubuque	$31,000	150
Ames	$37,000	50

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$32,000	710
Topeka	$29,000	260
Lawrence	$35,000	120

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$35,000	1,290
Lexington	$29,000	460
Bowling Green	$31,000	160
Elizabethtown	$32,000	90
Owensboro	$27,000	80

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$29,000	1,160
Baton Rouge	$28,000	690
Shreveport	$28,000	330
Lafayette	$25,000	300
Monroe	$28,000	210
Houma	$24,000	190
Lake Charles	$24,000	150
Alexandria	$28,000	110

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$36,000	330
Bangor	$32,000	120
Lewiston	$37,000	90

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$35,000	2,480
Bethesda	$36,000	1,260
Hagerstown	$32,000	170
Salisbury	$33,000	140
Cumberland	$29,000	60

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$38,000	3,350
Springfield	$35,000	600
Worcester	$37,000	530
Barnstable Town	$41,000	290
Framingham	$48,000	280
Brockton	$40,000	260
Lowell	$44,000	240
Lawrence	$39,000	190
Haverhill	$37,000	190
New Bedford	$32,000	140
Leominster	$34,000	130
Pittsfield	$37,000	80
Taunton	$41,000	70

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$34,000	3,100
Detroit	$32,000	1,560
Grand Rapids	$36,000	980
Ann Arbor	$37,000	480
Flint	$33,000	360
Lansing	$35,000	310
Holland	$38,000	270
Kalamazoo	$36,000	270
Saginaw	$34,000	260
Muskegon	$32,000	200
Niles	$34,000	110
Battle Creek	$31,000	90
Jackson	$31,000	90
Bay City	$31,000	80
Monroe	$31,000	80

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$42,000	3,390
St Cloud	$41,000	230
Rochester	$42,000	190
Duluth	$37,000	190

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$29,000	400
Hattiesburg	$26,000	200
Gulfport	$28,000	170
Pascagoula	$28,000	80

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$35,000	2,580
Kansas City	$34,000	1,880
Springfield	$33,000	420
Columbia	$31,000	240
St Joseph	$30,000	150
Jefferson City	$31,000	130
Joplin	$29,000	110

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$31,000	180
Missoula	$33,000	160
Great Falls	$32,000	120

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$31,000	840
Lincoln	$30,000	300

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$33,000	1,820
Reno	$36,000	600
Carson City	$39,000	60

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$40,000	390
Manchester	$44,000	210
Rochester	$41,000	130
Portsmouth	$42,000	130

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$38,000	2,740
Edison	$36,000	2,420
Camden	$35,000	1,230
Trenton	$37,000	420
Atlantic City	$33,000	210
Vineland	$36,000	190
Ocean City	$35,000	50

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$31,000	950
Farmington	$29,000	200
Santa Fe	$39,000	200
Las Cruces	$27,000	160

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$33,000	9,510
Nassau	$36,000	3,170
Buffalo	$31,000	1,080
Rochester	$31,000	950
Albany	$34,000	710
Syracuse	$30,000	640
Poughkeepsie	$35,000	570
Binghamton	$34,000	200
Utica	$30,000	180
Kingston	$33,000	140
Glens Falls	$33,000	120
Ithaca	$30,000	110
Elmira	$31,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$33,000	1,530
Raleigh	$39,000	990
Durham	$37,000	570
Greensboro	$34,000	540
Winston Salem	$35,000	480
Asheville	$32,000	440
Fayetteville	$31,000	390
Hickory	$33,000	390
Wilmington	$33,000	360
Greenville	$34,000	170
Rocky Mount	$31,000	160
Jacksonville	$34,000	140
Goldsboro	$36,000	90

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$34,000	190
Bismarck	$32,000	120
Grand Forks	$32,000	80

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$31,000	1,990
Cincinnati	$34,000	1,900
Columbus	$35,000	1,570
Dayton	$34,000	730
Toledo	$32,000	680
Akron	$32,000	530
Youngstown	$30,000	510
Canton	$29,000	470
Mansfield	$34,000	140
Springfield	$32,000	110
Lima	$26,000	60
Sandusky	$31,000	50

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$30,000	1,540
Tulsa	$28,000	1,110
Lawton	$31,000	160

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$38,000	2,930
Salem	$36,000	450
Eugene	$36,000	370
Medford	$34,000	280
Bend	$37,000	210
Corvallis	$37,000	80

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$34,000	3,690
Pittsburgh	$30,000	2,110
Allentown	$31,000	790
Scranton	$29,000	700
Harrisburg	$28,000	670
Lancaster	$33,000	470
York	$27,000	370
Reading	$31,000	330
Erie	$32,000	270
Johnstown	$24,000	140
State College	$30,000	130
Altoona	$27,000	120
Williamsport	$31,000	90
Lebanon	$32,000	90

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$35,000	1,280

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbia	$31,000	670
Charleston	$31,000	570
Greenville	$29,000	540
Myrtle Beach	$34,000	230
Spartanburg	$32,000	190
Florence	$29,000	150
Anderson	$32,000	130
Sumter	$32,000	70

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Rapid City	$28,000	210
Sioux Falls	$32,000	210

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$31,000	1,540
Memphis	$27,000	840
Knoxville	$32,000	720
Chattanooga	$32,000	460
Kingsport	$27,000	300
Clarksville	$30,000	270
Jackson	$28,000	120
Johnson City	$31,000	110
Morristown	$31,000	100
Cleveland	$30,000	50

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$33,000	4,840
Dallas	$34,000	3,650
San Antonio	$29,000	1,920
Fort Worth	$34,000	1,680
Austin	$34,000	1,510
El Paso	$23,000	490
Lubbock	$27,000	370
Corpus Christi	$29,000	360
Mcallen	$20,000	320
Beaumont	$31,000	290
Killeen	$29,000	250
Amarillo	$31,000	210
Longview	$31,000	210
Tyler	$32,000	180
Brownsville	$25,000	180
Waco	$31,000	150
College Station	$30,000	130
Wichita Falls	$28,000	110
Laredo	$25,000	110
Abilene	$27,000	100
Sherman	$30,000	100
Odessa	$28,000	90
Midland	$27,000	90
Texarkana	$28,000	90
San Angelo	$28,000	90
Victoria	$26,000	60

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$28,000	1,970
Ogden	$25,000	810
Provo	$27,000	760
St George	$29,000	210
Logan	$22,000	190

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$36,000	150

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$32,000	1,700
Richmond	$32,000	1,030
Charlottesville	$32,000	240
Roanoke	$34,000	240
Lynchburg	$31,000	190
Harrisonburg	$26,000	130
Blacksburg	$33,000	90
Winchester	$30,000	80
Danville	$26,000	80

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$38,000	4,300
Tacoma	$37,000	1,130
Spokane	$32,000	740
Olympia	$37,000	360
Bremerton	$35,000	290
Kennewick	$35,000	270
Yakima	$33,000	240
Bellingham	$35,000	190
Mount Vernon	$40,000	170
Longview	$32,000	130
Wenatchee	$33,000	100

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$25,000	370
Huntington	$26,000	180
Parkersburg	$25,000	140
Morgantown	$24,000	130
Wheeling	$23,000	100
Weirton	$22,000	90

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$33,000	1,910
Madison	$38,000	520
Green Bay	$32,000	350
Appleton	$33,000	270
La Crosse	$33,000	190
Janesville	$33,000	190
Eau Claire	$33,000	190
Wausau	$29,000	180
Racine	$36,000	180
Oshkosh	$30,000	180
Sheboygan	$32,000	140
Fond	$34,000	70

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper	$32,000	90
Cheyenne	$30,000	80

Our dentist assistant career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.