Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018
31-9091 Dental Assistants
Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 341,060 |
0.9 % |
$19.12 |
$39,770 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$12.95 |
$15.48 |
$18.59 |
$22.63 |
$26.35 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$26,940 |
$32,200 |
$38,660 |
$47,070 |
$54,800 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Dentists |
308,170 |
32.57 |
$19.12 |
$39,770 |
| Offices of Physicians |
7,800 |
0.30 |
$17.78 |
$36,980 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
5,170 |
0.56 |
$19.16 |
$39,850 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) |
3,740 |
0.19 |
$20.60 |
$42,850 |
| Employment Services |
3,420 |
0.09 |
$19.18 |
$39,890 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation: Top
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
53,110 |
3.12 |
1.33 |
$19.72 |
$41,030 |
| Texas |
30,290 |
2.50 |
1.06 |
$17.70 |
$36,820 |
| Florida |
19,180 |
2.23 |
0.95 |
$19.03 |
$39,590 |
| New York |
19,110 |
2.04 |
0.86 |
$18.81 |
$39,130 |
| Illinois |
12,820 |
2.14 |
0.91 |
$18.93 |
$39,370 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
1,110 |
3.52 |
1.49 |
$22.75 |
$47,330 |
| Utah |
5,060 |
3.48 |
1.48 |
$15.04 |
$31,280 |
| New Mexico |
2,670 |
3.29 |
1.39 |
$16.76 |
$34,870 |
| Washington |
10,510 |
3.23 |
1.37 |
$21.00 |
$43,680 |
| Idaho |
2,230 |
3.16 |
1.34 |
$16.73 |
$34,800 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
21,590 |
2.27 |
0.96 |
$19.71 |
$40,990 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
18,070 |
2.95 |
1.25 |
$17.99 |
$37,420 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
10,630 |
2.29 |
0.97 |
$19.12 |
$39,770 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
9,730 |
2.73 |
1.16 |
$19.24 |
$40,010 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
7,220 |
2.42 |
1.03 |
$16.67 |
$34,670 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,860 |
2.83 |
1.20 |
$23.61 |
$49,100 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
6,280 |
2.00 |
0.85 |
$23.46 |
$48,800 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
6,210 |
2.18 |
0.92 |
$20.06 |
$41,710 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
6,020 |
2.32 |
0.99 |
$19.92 |
$41,430 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
5,950 |
2.15 |
0.91 |
$22.98 |
$47,790 |
United States Department of Labor
