Although the Arkansas Department of Workforce Solutions reported that just 2,554 dental assistants were employed throughout the state in 2008, by 2018 this number is expected to grow to 3,445.
The addition of 891 dental assistants within just ten years proves an unparalleled employment growth change of 34.9%. In effect, jobseekers will encounter an estimated 119 job openings in dental assisting annually.
Rising Salary Averages for Dental Assistants in Arkansas
In 2009, the Department of Workforce Solutions gauged that dental assistants employed in Arkansas earned a salary of between $21,190 and $30,780 annually.
However, research conducted by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a definitively higher salary pay scale for Arkansas dental assistants in 2013:
- 25th Percentile: $25,900/yr.
- Median Percentile: $29,900/yr.
- 75th Percentile: $35,000/yr.
- 90th Percentile: $38,600/yr.
Certainly some dental assistants, particularly part-time employees, are paid hourly wages in lieu of salary offers. Therefore, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has also released the average wage pay scale for Arkansas dental assistants as of 2013:
- 25th Percentile: $12.46/hr.
- Median Percentile: $14.37/hr.
- 75th Percentile: $16.83/hr.
- 90th Percentile: $18.57/hr.
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Salary Data for Dental Assistants by Region in Arkansas
Dental assistant earning potential in Arkansas is frequently influenced by a location’s supply and demand for dental services. As such, dental assistants should anticipate a degree of salary and wage differentiation across regions.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics provided the data in the following table to illustrate regional salary and wage variations for dental assistants as of 2013: