National Salary Info » Dental Assistants

Highest Paying Industries for Dental Assistants

The top 60 highest paying industries for dental assistants (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $45,280, general medical and surgical hospitals - state government owned is the highest paying industry for dental assistants. It is followed by insurance carriers and related activities industry (average annual salary $45,150). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of dental assistants in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 60 Highest Paying Industries for Dental Assistants

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$45,280	$33,400	100
2	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$45,150	$30,800	110
3	Finance and Insurance	$41,760	$30,400	120
4	Hospitals - State government owned	$41,480	$28,790	230
5	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$40,150	$28,590	120
6	Federal government, including USPS	$39,940	$31,080	3,880
7	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$39,940	$31,080	3,880
8	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$39,690	$28,770	110
9	Educational Services - Local government owned	$39,640	$26,720	60
10	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$39,010	$28,450	6,490
11	Federal, State, and Local Government	$39,010	$28,450	6,490
12	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$38,280	$27,440	8,920
13	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$38,110	$26,120	110
14	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$37,770	$29,940	40
15	Insurance Carriers	$37,770	$29,940	40
16	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$37,650	$26,550	1,470
17	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$37,510	$26,700	60
18	Hospitals - Privately owned	$36,360	$26,790	1,560
19	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$36,360	$26,470	2,220
20	State government, including schools and hospitals	$36,350	$25,930	3,400
21	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$36,300	$26,770	1,440
22	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$36,250	$25,730	130
23	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$36,200	$26,430	1,970
24	Facilities Support Services	$35,750	$26,060	70
25	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$35,530	$24,840	1,140
26	Home Health Care Services	$35,440	$26,510	50
27	Temporary Help Services	$35,440	$26,480	2,260
28	Offices of Dentists	$35,390	$24,490	287,100
29	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$35,360	$24,910	1,630
30	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$35,320	$24,460	297,460
31	Health Care and Social Assistance	$35,320	$24,480	299,940
32	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$35,210	$25,120	1,690
33	Educational Services - State government owned	$35,190	$25,090	1,700
34	Employment Services	$35,150	$26,190	3,740
35	Administrative and Support Services	$35,120	$26,090	4,180
36	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$35,120	$26,090	4,180
37	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$34,760	$25,250	2,860
38	Educational Services	$34,750	$25,210	2,930
39	Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	$34,670	$25,680	n/a
40	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$34,620	$24,960	430
41	Hospitals - Local government owned	$34,620	$24,960	430
42	All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$34,460	$22,230	140
43	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$34,460	$22,230	140
44	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$34,440	$25,690	n/a
45	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$34,440	$25,690	n/a
46	Outpatient Care Centers	$34,380	$24,480	3,220
47	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$34,170	$25,690	n/a
48	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$34,050	$25,650	30
49	Educational Services - Privately owned	$33,980	$25,320	1,170
50	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$33,970	$25,340	1,140
51	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$33,440	$25,000	50
52	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$33,290	$25,570	30
53	Offices of Physicians	$32,750	$23,590	6,360
54	Social Assistance	$32,110	$24,540	200
55	Offices of All Other Health Practitioners	$31,910	$19,070	590
56	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$31,910	$19,070	590
57	Individual and Family Services	$30,750	$23,810	160
58	Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	$29,620	$19,650	90
59	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	$29,620	$19,650	90
60	Manufacturing	$29,620	$19,650	90