 Employment
and Earnings
Dental assistants
hold about 295,000 jobs in the United States. Almost all jobs for dental
assistants are in offices of dentists. A small number of jobs are in the
Federal, state, and local governments or in offices of physicians. About
35 percent of dental assistants work part time, sometimes in more than
one dental office.
According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual wages of dental assistants is
$32,380. The middle 50 percent earned between $26,980 and $38,960. The
lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,270, and the highest 10 percent
earned more than $46,150.
Benefits vary
substantially by practice setting and may be contingent upon full-time
employment. According to a 2008 survey conducted by the Dental Assisting
National Board (DANB), 86 percent of Certified Dental Assistants (CDA)
reported receiving paid vacation from their employers, and more than
half of CDAs received health benefits.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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