Dental Assistant Salaries in Alabama
With almost five million residents, Alabama is America’s 24th most populous state. To help keep this population healthy, the state relies on knowledgeable health care providers like dental assistants. Throughout the year, these trained assistants provide crucial support to Alabama dentists.
In the ten-year span between 2016 and 2026, Alabama will add roughly 620 dental assistant positions. There are about 480 job openings for these professionals in the typical year.
Alabama dental assistants make an average of almost $34,000 a year. This is significantly below the average for assistants working in most other states.
| AreaName | Base Year | Employed | Projection Year | Projected Employment | Change | % Change | Projected Average Annual Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2018 | 346,000 | 2026 | 384,700 | 38,700 | 19.5% | 44,800 |
| Alabama | 2016 | 3,520 | 2026 | 4,140 | 620 | 17.6% | 480 |
| State | Total Employed | Hourly Mean | Hourly Mean | Annual Mean | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Annual Median | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | 351,470 | $19.79 | $41,170 | $27,980 | $33,440 | $40,080 | $48,550 | $56,930 |
| Alabama | 3,140 | $16.05 | $33,390 | $23,870 | $28,080 | $33,020 | $38,860 | $45,080 |
The highest paid dental assistants in Alabama work in two metropolitan areas: Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville and Tuscaloosa. Other areas with relatively high salaries include Columbus, Birmingham-Hoover and Decatur. The lowest salaries for a metro region are found in Mobile. Other regions with relatively low salaries for dental assistants include Dothan, Montgomery and Daphne-Fairhope-Foley.
| Area | Total Employed | Hourly Mean | Annual Mean | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Annual Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL | 60 | $17.61 | $36,630 | $24,160 | $29,100 | $37,420 | $45,460 | $49,800 |
| Auburn-Opelika, AL | 110 | $16.05 | $33,390 | $26,620 | $28,330 | $31,100 | $38,440 | $45,560 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 690 | $17.10 | $35,560 | $27,700 | $31,660 | $35,910 | $40,310 | $45,740 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | 270 | $17.26 | $35,910 | $24,680 | $30,280 | $35,790 | $41,200 | $47,140 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 180 | $15.58 | $32,400 | $23,620 | $27,190 | $31,640 | $37,370 | $42,890 |
| Decatur, AL | 120 | $16.47 | $34,260 | $26,880 | $28,760 | $32,090 | $40,380 | $46,090 |
| Dothan, AL | 100 | $15.00 | $31,200 | $25,880 | $27,780 | $30,980 | $35,370 | $38,410 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 120 | $15.87 | $33,010 | $25,880 | $28,390 | $32,330 | $38,290 | $43,870 |
| Gadsden, AL | 80 | $18.13 | $37,720 | $26,470 | $29,560 | $35,680 | $45,730 | $53,440 |
| Huntsville, AL | 410 | $15.81 | $32,890 | $25,300 | $27,990 | $31,430 | $37,690 | $45,110 |
| Mobile, AL | 300 | $14.88 | $30,950 | $23,340 | $26,400 | $30,910 | $36,190 | $39,220 |
| Montgomery, AL | 210 | $15.24 | $31,690 | $19,980 | $24,580 | $33,290 | $38,180 | $41,590 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 180 | $17.61 | $36,620 | $25,690 | $30,330 | $36,080 | $42,330 | $49,460 |
In Alabama, dental assistants make more money per year than several other similar types of health care providers. Those include nursing assistants, medical assistants and pharmacy technicians. However, at an average of more than $57,000 a year, physical therapist assistants make substantially more money than dental assistants.
| Occupation | Total Employed | Hourly Mean | Annual Mean | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Annual Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy Technicians | 6790 | $14.82 | $30,830 | $21,820 | $25,650 | $29,880 | $35,760 | $40,310 |
| Nursing Assistants | 22750 | $11.82 | $24,590 | $18,750 | $21,220 | $23,710 | $27,090 | $31,640 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | 1790 | $27.75 | $57,730 | $39,450 | $49,590 | $58,580 | $67,660 | $78,300 |
| Dental Assistants | 3140 | $16.05 | $33,390 | $23,870 | $28,080 | $33,020 | $38,860 | $45,080 |
| Medical Assistants | 9580 | $14.05 | $29,220 | $21,120 | $24,460 | $28,570 | $32,940 | $39,490 |