Indiana’s flourishing health care industry is creating major employment gains for the dental assisting profession. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development postulates the number of dental assistants employed in the state will increase from 5,764 in 2010 to 7,642 by 2020.
This employment growth suggests a striking annual average growth rate of 2.9% for dental assistants. This percentage is far above the current annual average growth rate of just 1.3% for all occupations in the state.
Advertised Wage Statistics for Dental Assistant Jobs in Indiana
Findings publicized by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reveal that dental assistants employed throughout the state in 2013 earned an average annual salary of $35,220 and an average hourly wage of $16.93.
However, when the Department of Workforce Development researched advertised pay rates for dental assistant jobs in October 2014, salary and wage offers indicated a different set of averages:
- Entry Level: $18,616/yr. or $8.95/hr.
- Mean Level: $22,145/yr. or $10.65/hr.
- Experienced Level: $27,354/yr. or $13.15/hr.
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Employers may ask job candidates to submit their preferred salary during the application process. In October 2014, the Department of Workforce Development found that dental assistants looking for jobs in Indiana indicated the following desired salary scales:
- $20,000-$34,999/yr.: 83%
- $35,000-$49,999/yr.: 56%
- Not Specified: 60%
- $5,000-$19,999/yr.: 18%
- $50,000-$64,999/yr.: 83%
Geographic Salary Data for Dental Assistants in Indiana
According to the Department of Workforce Development, the top five paying metropolitan areas for dental assistants in 2013 were:
- South Bend-Mishawaka-, IN-MI: $41,050/yr.
- Elkhart-Goshen, IN: $40,930/yr.
- Michigan City-La Porte, IN: $37,200/yr.
- Anderson, IN: $36,510/yr.
- Fort Wayne, IN: $36,290/yr.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics also offers details on dental assistant wages and salaries by location in the table below (2013):