Top U.S. states for dental assisting career growth
Dental assisting is a profession with a lot of growth potential. For those looking to climb the career ladder, there are opportunities to become a lead dental assistant, infection control coordinator, expanded functions dental assistant, and more. But which states offer the most growth opportunities for dental assistants?
To determine this, we looked for states that meet these three criteria:
- At least three levels of dental assisting
- Median hourly pay above the national median for dental assistants ($22.38), as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- 75th percentile hourly pay above the national median for dental assistants ($26.17), indicating room for wage growth
We then looked at the number of practices in each state as reported by Dentagraphics, as well as the total population size as of July 1, 2024, according to the United States Census Bureau. Using this data, we ranked the states that met the above criteria in order of the highest number of practices per 100,000 people. The resulting list is below, showing — at a basic level — which states have the most opportunities for dental assistants in terms of both pay and career growth.
California
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $23.51
75th percentile hourly wage: $28.83
Estimated dental practices per capita: 55.3
Massachusetts
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $27.86
75th percentile hourly wage: $29.42
Estimated dental practices per capita: 54.5
New Jersey
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $23.11
75th percentile hourly wage: $28.79
Estimated dental practices per capita: 51.8
Washington
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $27.42
75th percentile hourly wage: $29.75
Estimated dental practices per capita: 46.4
New Hampshire
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $24.17
75th percentile hourly wage: $28.41
Estimated dental practice per capita: 44.6
Illinois
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $22.80
75th percentile hourly wage: $26.84
Estimated dental practice per capita: 43.8
Oregon
Dental assisting levels:
- Dental Assistant
- Expanded Function Dental Assistant
- Expanded Function Dental Assistant with Restorative Functions Certificate
- Expanded Function Dental Assistant with Local Anesthesia Functions Certificate
- Expanded Function Orthodontic Dental Assistant
- Expanded Function Preventive Dental Assistant
- Anesthesia Monitor
- Anesthesia Dental Assistant
- Anesthesia Dental Assistant with IV Therapy Certificate
Median hourly wage: $27.75
75th percentile hourly wage: $28.75
Estimated dental practices per capita: 43.0
Maryland
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $23.21
75th percentile hourly wage: $27.54
Estimated dental practices per capita: 42.6
Arizona
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $23.56
75th percentile hourly wage: $27.77
Estimated dental practices per capita: 40.0
Alaska
Dental assisting levels
Median hourly wage: $26.90
75th percentile hourly wage: $30.02
Estimated dental practices per capita: 38.2
Vermont
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $24.53
75th percentile hourly wage: $29.19
Estimated dental practices per capita: 34.7
Minnesota
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $31.07
75th percentile hourly wage: $32.89
Estimated dental practices per capita: 33.7
Indiana
Dental assisting levels:
Median hourly wage: $23.07
75th percentile hourly wage: $27.91
Estimated dental practices per capita: 32.8
Want to know more about the best states for dental assistants to work?