The Maine Department of Labor considers the field of dental assisting to be a high growth occupation in the state. It predicts an 11% increase in the number of dental assistant jobs in the ten-year period ending in 2022. This is nearly five fold higher than the overall increase in job growth expected among all occupations in Maine.
In 2012, 1,130 dental assistants were employed in Maine. That number is expected to increase by 124 over this time frame.
The average 2013 dental assistant salary in Maine was $38,090. Dental assistants in the 10th percentile are generally entry-level professionals. They averaged $28,810 year. In contrast, experienced dental assistants in the 90th percentile earned $47,730 a year on average.
Featured Programs:
- Online
The highest Maine dental assistant salary was $59,390 for Androscoggin County dental assistants in the 90th percentile. Average salaries were highest in Androscoggin and Cumberland counties:
Dental assistant salaries were lower than the state’s average in the balance of state areas:
In 2013, 78.5% of Maine’s 1,300 dental assistants were employed in four of the largest counties:
- York County – 290
- Cumberland County – 280
- Kennebec County – 230
- Penobscot County – 220
For comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides a detailed breakdown of 2013 dental assisting salary figures by percentile in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas of Maine: