The number of dental assisting jobs is projected to increase by 22.8% in the ten-year period ending in 2012 according to Iowa Workforce Development. This Idaho state government agency projects that 125 jobs a year will become available in the state on average during this time.
Job growth is expected to be particularly high in Iowa Workforce Development Region 07. This region, comprised of Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, and Grundy counties, is expected to have a dental assistant job growth rate of 31% over this ten-year period.
The 2014 average dental assistant salary in Iowa was $33,615. Entry-level dental assistants earned $27,373 a year on average, while those with experience averaged $39,736.
The 2013 Iowa dental assistant salaries varied substantially between the most populated counties. It was substantially higher in Polk County than in any other of these counties. This was the case for all categories of dental assistants:
Iowa Area
Entry-level
Average
Experienced
Black Hawk County
$30056
$35874
$38792
Cerro Gordo County
$30446
$37158
$40310
Dubuque County
$27227
$32317
$34861
Johnson County
$32448
$37569
$40123
Linn County
$23670
$29141
$31866
Polk County
$34986
$42286
$45947
Pottawattamie County
$32178
$33873
$34715
Scott County
$21278
$28734
$32469
Woodbury County
$25730
$30699
$33176
In 2013, some 2,430 dental assistants were employed throughout Iowa. Nearly 60% of them were located in Iowa’s eight most populated counties. Linn and Polk counties had the greatest number of dental assistants, with 310 employed in each county.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed breakdown by percentile of 2013 dental assisting salaries in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Iowa:
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Ames IA
90
17.62
36660
18.03
20.59
22.19
37490
42830
46150
Cedar Rapids IA
280
19.20
39940
19.02
21.84
24.18
39570
45430
50280
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL
300
15.96
33200
15.67
18.11
21.15
32580
37670
43980
Des Moines-West Des Moines IA
490
18.07
37580
18.97
21.81
24.59
39460
45360
51140
Dubuque IA
170
16.34
33990
16.08
18.51
21.43
33450
38510
44580
Iowa City IA
230
18.03
37500
17.68
19.98
22.14
36780
41560
46040
Omaha-Council Bluffs NE-IA
810
15.31
31840
15.59
17.33
18.35
32420
36050
38170
Sioux City IA-NE-SD
150
16.56
34430
16.70
18.72
21.49
34730
38950
44700
Waterloo-Cedar Falls IA
220
15.20
31610
14.47
18.59
21.45
30090
38660
44620
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area
200
17.62
36650
17.60
20.11
21.97
36600
41820
45710
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area
220
16.99
35340
16.96
19.83
21.85
35270
41240
45450
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area
120
16.34
33980
16.39
18.19
20.63
34090
37830
42900
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area
390
15.98
33230
15.94
18.36
20.93
33160
38190
43540
