New Mexico has the fifth highest concentration of dental assistant jobs in the country according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The number of New Mexico dental assistant jobs is projected to increase 27%, considerably higher than job growth for the state as a whole according to the state’s Department of Workforce Solutions.
Dental Assistant Salaries in New Mexico by Region
As of 2013, the median dental assistant salary in New Mexico was $31,560. Experienced dental assistants earned an average of $35,790 while those just entering the field made $23,940 on average.
Salaries tended to be highest in northern part of New Mexico:
Dental Assistant Job Growth in New Mexico’s Workforce Regions
The number of dental assistant jobs is projected to grow in most of New Mexico’s workforce regions. The exception is the southwestern part of the state.
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Growth during the current ten-year period is expected to be higher than New Mexico’s overall average in the central and northern parts of the state. The central part of the state is expected to see a 1.8% increase in the number of dental assistant jobs, while this rate of growth is expected to be 1.5% in the northern part of New Mexico.
Most of the 296 jobs that will open up during this period will be in central New Mexico, where 174 jobs are expected to become available. The second greatest number of new jobs will be in northern New Mexico where an estimated 95 new jobs will be added during this period.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of dental assistant salary percentiles in New Mexico’s metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas (2013):