As the field of dental assisting grows, the number of dental assistant jobs in North Carolina is projected to increase by 23.8% between 2010 and 2020 according to the state’s Department of Commerce.
The median 2014 dental assistant salary in North Carolina was $37,400. Dental assistants entering the workforce averaged $29,780, while those with experience earned $41,210 on average.
Salaries in all categories were highest in the Raleigh area according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce:
North Carolina Salary
Entry-level
Median
Experienced
Asheville
$31240
$38520
$40990
Burlington
$30720
$35830
$41260
Charlotte
$30100
$37060
$41810
Fayetteville
$31970
$37500
$40640
Goldsboro
$31180
$35500
$40620
Greensboro
$31450
$37340
$40500
Greenville
$27130
$35660
$39020
Hickory
$28140
$34520
$37480
Jacksonville
$27000
$33380
$36280
Raleigh
$33170
$39600
$44370
Rocky Mount
$25220
$36610
$40410
Wilmington
$25730
$32320
$38630
Winston
$30470
$35570
$39980
Dental Assistant Employment Levels in North Carolina
In 2014, 9,080 dental assistants were employed throughout North Carolina. Slightly more than 18% were located in the Charlotte area, while 14.2% worked in the Raleigh area.
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While Wilmington only had 640 dental assistants employed there in 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that this area had the eighth highest concentration of dental assistant jobs in the country in 2013.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce also analyzed dental assistant growth levels in Workforce Development Board (WDB) areas. The number of dental assistant jobs is projected to increase in all of these areas except for the Northwest Piedmont WDB. The Centralina WDB is projected to have the greatest amount of growth at 28.6%.
The BLS provides a breakdown of 2013 North Carolina dental assistant salary percentiles in its major metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas:
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
Asheville NC
300
18.14
37740
18.52
20.90
22.30
38520
43460
46390
Burlington NC
130
18.15
37740
17.22
20.66
25.49
35830
42980
53010
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC-SC
1650
18.22
37900
17.82
21.19
23.59
37060
44080
49060
Durham-Chapel Hill NC
820
17.87
37160
17.16
20.26
25.15
35690
42150
52320
Fayetteville NC
510
18.15
37750
18.03
20.30
22.28
37500
42230
46330
Goldsboro NC
70
18.02
37480
17.07
19.37
25.39
35500
40290
52800
Greensboro-High Point NC
640
18.02
37490
17.95
20.67
22.39
37340
42990
46580
Greenville NC
170
16.85
35060
17.14
19.67
21.91
35660
40920
45570
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton NC
380
16.52
34370
16.60
18.49
21.16
34520
38450
44010
Jacksonville NC
190
15.96
33190
16.05
17.94
19.85
33380
37320
41290
Raleigh-Cary NC
1290
19.54
40640
19.04
22.44
25.87
39600
46680
53800
Rocky Mount NC
130
17.00
35350
17.60
20.77
22.51
36610
43200
46810
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News VA-NC
2090
14.74
30660
14.86
17.22
19.50
30900
35820
40560
Wilmington NC
640
16.51
34330
15.54
19.52
23.31
32320
40610
48480
Winston-Salem NC
470
17.70
36810
17.10
19.35
24.06
35570
40240
50050
Northeastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
400
16.49
34300
16.72
18.08
20.14
34780
37620
41890
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
590
18.47
38420
17.99
21.63
25.42
37420
44990
52870
Western Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
450
19.63
40830
19.92
22.34
25.61
41440
46470
53280
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area
340
15.81
32890
15.49
18.05
20.92
32220
37540
43500
