The average entry-level dental assistant salary in Pennsylvania was $24,350 a year in 2013. Experienced professionals earned $37,950 on average, while the mean dental assistant salary was $33,420.
Pennsylvania dental assistant salary levels varied widely throughout the state’s nine most heavily populated counties.
The highest mean salary was in Delaware County, while the highest salary for experienced professionals was in Montgomery County:
Pennsylvania Area
Entry-level
Mean
Experienced
Allegheny County
$26000
$33540
$37300
Berks County
$30500
$35990
$38740
Bucks County
$29060
$36020
$39510
Chester County
$29420
$36990
$40780
Delaware County
$31920
$40140
$44260
Lancaster County
$27830
$36570
$40940
Montgomery County
$26150
$38740
$45030
Philadelphia County
$22340
$32060
$36920
York County
$22340
$32060
$36920
Dental Assistant Job Growth in Pennsylvania’s Metropolitan Areas
The number of dental assistant jobs in Pennsylvania is projected to grow by 8.7% between 2012 and 2022 according to the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. Growth will be even higher in some metropolitan areas.
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The levels of dental assistance job growth are higher in all of Pennsylvania’s major metropolitan areas except for the State College area. Growth rates are exceptionally high in the Reading and Lebanon areas at 17.1% and 16.7% respectively. The job growth rate is 13% in the Allentown and Erie areas.
Most of Pennsylvania’s 12,160 dental assistant jobs were found in the Philadelphia area in 2012. This area’s 116 projected annual openings represent 32.5% of the state’s total. Sixty-nine dental assistant jobs a year are predicted to become available in the Reading area.
Nonmetropolitan areas of Pennsylvania can be excellent sources of dental assistant jobs. The eastern central nonmetropolitan area of Pennsylvania had the second highest employment level in this field of any such area in the country in 2013 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The BLS provides an analysis of 2013 Pennsylvania dental assisting salary percentiles in both 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
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ
1020
16.79
34910
15.98
19.67
23.18
33230
40920
48220
Altoona PA
130
14.19
29520
14.25
16.59
17.95
29640
34510
37330
Erie PA
300
13.56
28200
13.18
14.38
17.32
27410
29910
36020
Harrisburg-Carlisle PA
520
17.31
36000
17.25
20.27
22.32
35880
42160
46420
Johnstown PA
140
12.95
26930
11.44
14.60
19.42
23800
30360
40400
Lancaster PA
510
17.58
36570
17.70
20.80
22.75
36820
43250
47310
Lebanon PA
60
15.42
32080
15.29
17.78
18.47
31810
36990
38420
Newark-Union NJ-PA Metropolitan Division
2080
20.52
42690
20.82
24.09
27.30
43310
50100
56790
Philadelphia PA Metropolitan Division
4430
17.05
35470
16.75
20.34
24.45
34840
42320
50860
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD
6610
17.35
36090
17.12
20.86
24.57
35610
43390
51110
Pittsburgh PA
2320
14.70
30580
15.20
17.34
19.10
31620
36070
39720
Reading PA
390
17.30
35990
17.07
19.54
21.95
35510
40650
45660
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre PA
480
14.54
30250
13.39
17.23
21.59
27850
35840
44900
State College PA
150
15.23
31680
15.13
17.13
18.38
31470
35630
38230
Williamsport PA
90
16.17
33630
15.64
17.98
21.84
32540
37400
45430
York-Hanover PA
420
15.38
31990
14.32
17.43
22.91
29780
36260
47650
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman OH-PA
550
16.79
34930
16.46
19.60
22.24
34230
40770
46270
Far Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area
290
14.50
30170
14.05
17.13
20.32
29230
35640
42260
West Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area
310
14.63
30420
13.83
16.77
20.42
28760
34880
42480
Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area
190
16.65
34630
15.00
18.98
24.35
31210
39470
50650
East Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area
640
15.64
32530
14.91
17.62
23.85
31010
36660
49620
