Dental assistants prep patients and assist dentists during procedures.
In May 2009, there were 490 working dental assistants in Springfield, Missouri as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They helped prep patients for examinations and routine procedures while also assisting dentists during dental operations and surgeries. Dental assistants in Springfield make a fair average yearly salary, with the opportunity to grow in the field with continued experience and education.
Average Springfield Salary
As of May 2009, the mean or average wage of a dental assistant in Springfield, Missouri was $32,880 per year. This breaks down to an hourly average of $15.81. The median or 50th percentile wage of the 490 dental assistants working in Springfield that year was $15.76 an hour.
Missouri Average Comparison
The Missouri state mean salary for dental assistants in May 2009 was $33,740 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is 2.6 percent higher than the mean salary for dental assistants in Springfield, Missouri. Other major metros in the state paid similar wages to Springfield. Jefferson City and Columbia both paid average salaries within a few hundred dollars of Springfield's mean for dental assistants at $32,430 and $32,530 per year, respectively.
Metro Average Comparisons
Springfield, Missouri fell on the lower end of the U.S. metropolitan average salaries. Areas like Chico, California and St. George, Utah paid less than Springfield at averages of $30,840 and $27,910 per year respectively; many metros paid significantly more. Anchorage, Alaska paid dental assistants a mean of $44,960 per year, 36.7 percent more than the Springfield, Missouri mean. The highest paying metro in 2009 was the combined Santa Rosa-Petaluma area in California at a mean $46,740. That's 42.2 percent more than Springfield's average of $32,880 annually.
National Average Comparison
Nationally, dental assistants in 2009 earned an average $34,000 per year or $16.35 per hour according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 50th percentile or median national wage was $33,230 per year. Springfield's mean of $32,880 per year ranks its dental assistants in the 25th to 50th percentile range nationwide.
Tags: Springfield Missouri, dental assistants, 50th percentile, assistants Springfield, Bureau Labor
