We have covered some of the dental assistant job outlook in our previous post that discussed about the profession in Texas State. This time, we are going to move to a new state, the North Carolina. The question remains the same: how much is dental assistant salary in NC?
Before we answer that question, let’s have a brief review about this profession. Dental assistant’s main job responsibility is to receive and prepare the patients for oral examination. They are also obliged to assist the dentist, dental hygienist, and dental therapist.
Of course, having a certification of dental assistant will certainly help you get the job. Although there are no educational and experience requirements needed to be a dental assistant, most of the dentist offices in North Carolina prefer the ones with certification. If you can be a registered certified dental assistant, that would be better. The salary would be better too.
If you want to be a certified dental assistant, you can attend one of the 18 accredited dental schools in North Carolina, including Central Carolina Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, Cape Fear Community College, etc.
Dental Assistant Salary in Raleigh NC
So How Much is Dental Assistant Salary in NC?
Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wages report have shown that the median average dental assistant salary in NC is $35,230 per year. This number is $2000 higher compared to the national average dental assistant salary. The overall distribution gap is pretty high, with the top 10% earns $47,500 per year while the lowest 10% are paid $24,410. This gap is caused mainly by three factors we have mentioned earlier, which are the experience, education level, and region.
We are sure that you are fully aware about the experience factor. We have also talked a bit about the education level that will get you a higher salary (in the form of registered and certified dental assistant). Now let’s talk about which area in NC can give you the best salary and which area should you avoid when you want to become a dental assistant in NC.
There are some region in North Carolina where being a dental assistant could give you a much higher salary compared to the national and state’s median average. The highest median wage for dental assistant is held by the city of Goldsboro with $39,790 per year. The second highest paying city for dental assistant in NC is Raleigh-Cary area with $39,180. Some reports even claimed that there are some dental assistant in these areas who are paid around $54,750 and $50,720 per year.
There are other areas in NC which dental assistant salary is below the national median wage. The lowest median salary for dental assistant in NC is held by the Rocky Mount area. According to the survey, there are dental assistants who are paid $21,830 per year in this city. That being said, this is not the worst salary in NC. The survey reported that there are some dental assistants in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord who are paid as low as $14,920 per year.
Of course, taking on a profession is not always about the money. Most of the time, the high salary in an area indicates the cost of living there. At the end of the day, you should consider thoroughly about these factors too.
Image: dentalassistantservices.com