Last week we spoke about dental techs--what they are and how to become one. This week, let's talk about how much they make.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists these jobs under Dental and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians and Medical Appliance Technicians. That's a good place to start, but we discovered salary data varies pretty widely by source. So we'll use a few sources to cover our bases.

Let's dig in and find out just how much dental techs make.

How much do dental techs make?

So just how much does a dental technician make?

According to the BLS, these techs earn around $41,180 per year or about $20 per hour.  Salary.com places dental tech salaries a little highter, at around $59k per year, with a salary range falling between $52k and $66k.

We've also compiled a list of dental tech salaries by state and the top 10 states for dental technician salaries.

Let's take a look at salaries by state next...

Dental Tech Salaries by State

Hers's a list of dental tech salaries by state. States fall within a range of $25 to $32 per hour.

State	Median Annual Salary	Salary Range	Hourly Rate
Alabama	$54,671	$42,646 - $67,179	$26.28
Alaska	$64,925	$50,645 - $79,778	$31.21
Arizona	$58,284	$45,464 - $71,617	$28.02
Arkansas	$54,231	$42,303 - $66,638	$26.07
California	$65,639	$51,202 - $80,655	$31.56
Colorado	$60,122	$46,899 - $73,877	$28.90
Connecticut	$64,139	$50,032 - $78,813	$30.84
Delaware	$60,789	$47,418 - $74,696	$29.23
Florida	$56,534	$44,099 - $69,468	$27.18
Georgia	$57,744	$45,043 - $70,954	$27.76
Hawaii	$62,437	$48,704 - $76,721	$30.02
Idaho	$55,252	$43,100 - $67,892	$26.56
Illinois	$61,146	$47,697 - $75,135	$29.40
Indiana	$58,034	$45,269 - $71,310	$27.90
Iowa	$56,951	$56,951 - $69,979	$27.38
Kansas	$56,665	$44,202 - $69,628	$27.24
Kentucky	$55,998	$43,682 - $68,809	$26.92
Louisiana	$56,582	$44,137 - $69,526	$27.20
Maine	$57,367	$44,749 - $70,491	$27.58
Maryland	$61,358	$47,862 - $75,395	$29.50
Massachusetts	$64,764	$50,519 - $79,581	$31.14
Michigan	$59,020	$46,039 - $72,523	$28.38
Minnesota	$60,985	$47,572 - $74,937	$29.32
Mississippi	$53,071	$41,398 - $65,212	$25.51
Missouri	$56,704	$44,232 - $69,676	$27.26
Montana	$54,403	$42,437 - $66,849	$26.16
Nebraska	$55,838	$43,556 - $68,612	$26.85
Nevada	$60,152	$46,922 - $73,913	$28.92
New Hampshire	$60,295	$47,033 - $74,089	$28.99
New Jersey	$65,514	$51,104 - $80,502	$31.50
New Mexico	$54,892	$42,818 - $67,449	$26.39
New York	$63,503	$49,535 - $78,030	$30.53
North Carolina	$57,129	$44,564 - $70,199	$27.47
North Dakota	$57,141	$44,573 - $70,213	$27.47
Ohio	$58,365	$45,528 - $71,718	$28.06
Oklahoma	$55,023	$42,921 - $67,611	$26.45
Oregon	$59,831	$46,671 - $73,519	$28.76
Pennsylvania	$59,390	$46,328 - $72,977	$28.55
Rhode Island	$62,366	$48,649 - $76,634	$29.98
South Carolina	$56,184	$43,826 - $69,037	$27.01
South Dakota	$52,440	$40,906 - $64,437	$25.21
Tennessee	$54,707	$42,674 - $67,223	$26.30
Texas	$58,498	$58,498 - $71,881	$28.12
Utah	$56,308	$43,923 - $69,190	$27.07
Vermont	$57,308	$44,703 - $70,418	$27.55
Virginia	$59,152	$46,142 - $72,685	$28.44
Washington	$63,848	$49,804 - $78,454	$30.70
West Virginia	$53,587	$41,801 - $65,846	$25.76
Wisconsin	$58,617	$45,724 - $72,027	$28.18
Wyoming	$54,737	$42,698 - $67,259	$26.32

Top Ten States for Dental Tech Salaries

Now let's find out which states are the highest paying states for dental tech jobs.

1. California $65,639
2. New Jersey $65,514
3. Alaska $64,925
4. Massachusetts $64,764
5. Connecticut $64,139
6. Washington $63,848
7. New York $63,503
8. Hawaii $62,437
9. Rhode Island $62,366
10. Maryland $61,358

Other top-paying states include Maine, Vermont, Virginia.

States with the Highest Employment Level

Top pay doesn't mean much if you can't find a job. So let's take a look at the top five states with the highest employment level for dental techs.

1. California
2. Florida
3. New York
4. Texas
5. Georgia

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