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Dental Assistants in California

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Dental Assistants in California

Considering a career as a Dental Assistant in California?

16.5% Jobs Projection
$38,740 Median Salary
6,570 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Dental Assistants in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Dental Assistants in California is growing faster than average.

  • Dental Assistants in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Dental Assistants Work in California?

53,110 people worked as Dental Assistants in 2018 in this state.

There were 50,100 Dental Assistants employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 3,010 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 4,550 Dental Assistants working in it, which means California has more Dental Assistants than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Dental Assistants in this state are growing at a rate of 16.5% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 19.5%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 6,570 annual Dental Assistants job openings in California, and 57,200 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 45,900 annual jobs and 396,600 total jobs in 2026.

What do Dental Assistants Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Dental Assistants ranged from $26,960 to $58,850 with $38,740 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.96 to $28.29. The median hourly rate was $18.63.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $18.06 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $0.57.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Dental Assistants

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Dental Assistants.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 18,070 $36,000
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 6,860 $47,420
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 5,600 $32,510
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 4,590 $38,530
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 3,570 $48,190
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 3,350 $41,960
Fresno, CA 1,240 $34,230
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,060 $44,650
Bakersfield, CA 950 $36,000
Stockton-Lodi, CA 910 $34,790
Santa Rosa, CA 760 $52,540
Modesto, CA 660 $36,700
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 600 $39,050
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 570 $46,760
Salinas, CA 510 $43,070
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 470 $44,150
Visalia-Porterville, CA 420 $32,970
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 390 $41,090
Redding, CA 250 $38,570
Chico, CA 240 $43,320
Madera, CA 210 $42,880
Napa, CA 200 $54,140
Merced, CA 190 $37,920
Hanford-Corcoran, CA 160 $38,670
Yuba City, CA 160 $37,490
El Centro, CA 130 $39,320

Top States for Dental Assistants Employment

The table below shows the states where most Dental Assistants work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
California 53,110 $38,740
Texas 30,290 $35,930
Florida 19,180 $38,790
New York 19,110 $38,170
Illinois 12,820 $39,790
Pennsylvania 11,130 $37,960
New Jersey 11,010 $41,950
Ohio 10,590 $36,960
Washington 10,510 $42,260
Michigan 9,960 $36,660
North Carolina 9,420 $41,660
Georgia 8,590 $36,760
Virginia 8,520 $43,520
Massachusetts 8,110 $45,760
Colorado 7,910 $40,170
Arizona 6,850 $41,690
Indiana 6,090 $39,590
Tennessee 6,070 $37,250
Wisconsin 6,060 $38,150
Maryland 6,020 $41,180

Below are the states where Dental Assistants get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
Minnesota $49,220
New Hampshire $47,900
District of Columbia $46,630
Alaska $46,100
Massachusetts $45,760
North Dakota $44,320
Connecticut $44,080
Vermont $44,020
Oregon $43,990
Rhode Island $43,890

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation CA Employment Total

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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