How much is dental assistant salary in Texas? The question is simple, but the answer is not. There are various aspects that play role in determining the amount of paycheck that the dental assistant receives in Texas State. In general, the salary amount is highly influenced with several factors, including experience, education level and location. Today we are going to talk about the last two factors.
Dental Assistant Salary in Texas: Education and Certification
In general, there are three types of dental assistant in the United States. They are:
Standard Dental Assistant. This is the lowest level of dental assistant. It means that they receive the least salary. The procedures you are allowed to do is very limited. Usually someone will have to complete dental assisting school program, although legally there are no special training required.
Registered Dental Assistant. The next level is the registered dental assistant, which requires you to have a registered dental assistant certificate by passing the Dental Assistant Course approved by the State Board of Dental Examiners and applying for it.
Certified Dental Assistant. The highest level is the certified dental assistant, which requires both dental assistant courses in the state and dental assistant national board examination.
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Dental Assistant Salary in Texas: Location
Now let’s move on to the next part. The average salary of dental assistant in Texas is around $31,550. This data is taken at May 2011. Most of them work as part timers, and some work in two different dentist offices. The average hourly wage of dental assistant in Texas is a little below the average hourly wage of dental assistant in United States. In numbers, that would be $15.70 compared to $16.70.
The salary range is varied, and mostly the salary is influenced with the experience, location, and education level. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the lowest 10% of the distribution earned around $20,450 per year, and the lowest 25% of the distribution earned around $24,900 per year. On the other hands, the highest 25% and 10% part of the distribution salary is around $37,250 and $43,880, respectively.
Texas State areas can be divided into two category, which are the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. But unlike what most people think, dental assistants working in the non-metropolitan area in Texas don’t always earn less than the ones working in the metropolitan area. Moreover, the cost of life in the metropolitan area is significantly higher compared to the non-metropolitan area.
So which area have the best dental assistant salary in Texas metropolitan areas? The areas that have a higher than average salary compared to the overall Texas State salary are the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos ($37,390 per year), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($34,170 per year), Dallas-Plano-Irving ($33,690 per year) and Abilene ($34,170 per year). There are also metropolitan areas in Texas that have a below-average salary for dental assistants. These areas are San Antonio-New Braunfels, Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Amarillo, El Paso, and Lubbock.
Meanwhile, the annual dental assistant salary in the non-metropolitan area of Texas is somewhat surprising. The north central Texas is currently the best paying area for dental assistant with $40,630 average annual income. The Gulf Coast have $35,190 annual salary. That said, other non-metropolitan area pay under the Texas State average salary. This includes northwest, east, central, and south Texas.
Image: dentalhealthcareers.com
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