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 2020

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southeast Minnesota	620	65	$25.02/hr	$20.32/hr	$22.22/hr	$25.10/hr	$28.56/hr	$30.72/hr

Leading Industries for Dental Assistants

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Professional and Business Services	20	$25.78/hr
Education and Health Services	5,620	$25.36/hr
Public Administration	100	$24.24/hr

Other Regional Data for Dental Assistants

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2016-2026
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	80	$22.51/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	90	$22.78/hr	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	110	$23.00/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	170	$20.42/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	220	$23.94/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	270	$22.68/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	280	$23.27/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	290	$23.34/hr	-4.0%
Southwest Minnesota	300	$23.01/hr	-1.8%
Fargo ND-MN MSA	300	$22.73/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	300	$23.93/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	360	$26.77/hr	N/A
Northwest Balance of State	420	$20.97/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	450	$21.32/hr	1.9%
Central Minnesota	460	$23.34/hr	11.6%
Southeast Minnesota	620	$25.10/hr	11.2%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	3,570	$26.62/hr	9.3%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	3,760	$26.39/hr	N/A
Minnesota	5,740	$25.33/hr	8.3%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2016-2026
Surgical Technologists	2,460	$29.09/hr	10.5%
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	3,000	$18.22/hr	22.3%
Physical Therapist Aides	280	$18.66/hr	16.3%

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.
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.
Clean and polish removable appliances.