The salary statistics of dental assistants in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government are shown in Table 1. In Table 2 we compare dental assistant salaries in different industries within the federal, state, and local government sector.
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $30,950 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $36,080 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $42,390 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $48,270 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $55,420 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for dental assistants in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government. 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 $55,420. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $42,390. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent paid dental assistants is $30,950.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of dental assistants in the industry sector of federal, state, and local government from 2012 to 2018.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 6-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $42,390 | 2.15% | 10.64% |
| 2017 | $41,480 | 3.47% | - |
| 2016 | $40,040 | 1.12% | - |
| 2015 | $39,590 | 1.47% | - |
| 2014 | $39,010 | 1.54% | - |
| 2013 | $38,410 | 1.38% | - |
| 2012 | $37,880 | - | - |
Data source: The national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2018 and published in April 2019 [1].