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Dental Assistant Salaries in Illinois

How much can I make in dental assisting in Illinois and in Chicago?

As the nation’s sixth most populous state, Illinois offers extensive opportunities to individuals interested in entering the healthcare professions. Jobs for dental assistants are available in abundance in its various metropolitan areas. That is especially true in Chicago, which is America’s third-largest city.

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More than 12,000 men and women were employed as dental assistants in Illinois in 2016. This number is expected to rise by 8.8 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is well below growth projections for the United States as a nation (19.5 percent).

The average salary for a dental assistant in Illinois is approximately the same as the average salary for a dental assistant in the country as a whole. Men and women employed in this field can expect to receive wages commensurate to those earned by dental assistants in surrounding Midwestern states.

Dental Assistant Job Outlook for Illinois vs. the United States

AreaNameBase YearEmployedProjection YearProjected EmploymentChange% ChangeProjected Average Annual Job Openings
United States2018346,0002026384,70038,70019.5%44,800
Illinois201612,060202613,1201,0608.8%1,470

Average Salaries in Dental Assisting in Illinois vs. the United States

StateTotal EmployedHourly MeanHourly MeanAnnual Mean10th Percentile25th PercentileAnnual Median75th Percentile
U.S.351,470$19.79$41,170$27,980$33,440$40,080$48,550$56,930
Illinois13,170$19.36$40,270$28,330$33,500$39,560$47,760$53,180

The highest wages in Illinois are paid to dental assistants working in the Peoria area. Based on high demand for dental services in heavily populated cities, individuals employed in the Greater Chicago area and those who commute from Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri, will earn more as dental assistants than those employed outside the major population centers (with the exception of Peoria). Find out about becoming a dental assistant in Chicago here.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, dental assistants who work in Springfield, Decatur or the Davenport (IA)-Moline (IL)-Rock Island (IL) metropolitan area can expect to earn less than the state average.

AreaTotal EmployedHourly MeanAnnual Mean10th Percentile25th PercentileAnnual Median75th Percentile90th Percentile
Bloomington, IL180$18.84$39,180$27,080$32,650$38,100$47,070$52,540
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL140$15.80$32,870$23,140$26,580$32,060$38,910$46,020
Carbondale-Marion, IL100$18.65$38,780$29,690$33,720$37,920$45,170$50,760
Champaign-Urbana, IL130$18.76$39,020$32,290$34,950$38,760$43,600$48,370
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI10760$19.72$41,030$29,490$34,190$41,110$48,590$53,610
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL400$17.03$35,420$26,400$29,990$35,230$40,180$46,620
Decatur, IL130$17.27$35,930$22,410$28,330$36,090$41,790$50,810
Kankakee, IL60$18.82$39,150$25,580$31,140$41,230$47,190$50,540
Peoria, IL450$21.40$44,520$28,650$34,230$44,170$54,610$62,890
Rockford, IL430$18.46$38,410$26,550$31,120$36,000$43,080$51,350
Springfield, IL180$16.87$35,080$23,280$27,980$35,000$42,130$48,970
St. Louis, MO-IL2400$19.26$40,060$27,140$34,090$40,420$47,180$51,780

In Illinois, dental assistants earn more than medical assistants and significantly more than nursing assistants and pharmacy technicians. However, physical therapists in Illinois are very well compensated and may earn as much as 40 percent more than men and women employed as dental assistants.

OccupationTotal EmployedHourly MeanAnnual Mean10th Percentile25th PercentileAnnual Median75th Percentile90th Percentile
Pharmacy Technicians21090$16.15$33,590$23,340$27,090$32,110$38,470$47,000
Nursing Assistants60370$14.31$29,760$22,570$25,550$28,810$32,760$38,730
Physical Therapist Assistants3980$28.43$59,130$36,060$51,430$59,860$70,090$80,770
Dental Assistants13170$19.36$40,270$28,330$33,500$39,560$47,760$53,180
Medical Assistants22940$17.55$36,500$26,340$29,800$35,220$40,790$49,250
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