Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

31-9091 Dental Assistants

Occupational Description:
Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	670	52	$31.26/hr	$24.59/hr	$29.48/hr	$30.74/hr	$36.07/hr	$37.34/hr

Leading Industries for Dental Assistants

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Professional and Business Services	80	$35.50/hr
Education and Health Services	5,800	$32.17/hr
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Dental Assistants

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Northeast Balance of State	90	$29.57/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	110	$28.48/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	120	$30.07/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	230	$23.25/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	260	$29.41/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	270	$30.07/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	300	$29.39/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	310	$29.27/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	320	$31.27/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	330	$29.73/hr	6.1%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	330	$28.07/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	340	$29.59/hr	5.9%
Northwest Balance of State	470	$29.62/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	540	$29.62/hr	6.6%
Southeast Minnesota	570	$29.93/hr	5.7%
Central Minnesota	670	$30.74/hr	6.5%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,500	$36.34/hr	6.3%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	3,910	$35.67/hr	N/A
Minnesota	5,980	$32.17/hr	6.2%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Dental Hygienists	4,110	$51.39/hr	6.6%
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians	4,910	$41.22/hr	5.4%
Surgical Technologists	1,770	$39.64/hr	5.3%

Task for Dental Assistants

Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.
Record treatment information in patient records.
Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.
Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.
Clean teeth, using dental instruments.
Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts.
Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.
Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.
Pour, trim, and polish study casts.
Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts.