The salary statistics of dental assistants in the industry sector of health care and social assistance are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare dental assistant salaries in different industries within the health care and social assistance sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $26,860 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $32,090 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $38,580 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $47,050 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $54,830 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for dental assistants in the industry sector of health care and social assistance. The salaries are shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) dental assistants is $54,830. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $38,580. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid dental assistants is $26,860.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of dental assistants in the industry sector of health care and social assistance from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $38,580 | 2.67% | 10.76% |
| 2017 | $37,550 | 1.86% | - |
| 2016 | $36,850 | 2.52% | - |
| 2015 | $35,920 | 1.67% | - |
| 2014 | $35,320 | 1.36% | - |
| 2013 | $34,840 | 1.18% | - |
| 2012 | $34,430 | - | - |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].