Data released recently from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, as of May 2022, more than 363,000 dental assistants were working in the United States.  About 23,000 dental assistants at work in May 2022 lived in the seven-state Great Plains region of the country.  BLS data reveals much disparity in the Great Plains region for dental assistant pay.  Dental assistants in Minnesota enjoy the highest average annual mean wage in the country, and North Dakota is another top 10 state for dental assistant annual mean wages.  However, about 53% of the region's dental assistants work in one of three states that rank 30th or worse for average annual mean wages for the profession.  A deeper dive into May 2022 BLS data details the following about dental assistant pay in the Great Plains region of the U.S.:

Dental Assistant Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	3,280	$45,650	18th
KS	3,220	$39,000	44th
MN	5,890	$58,890	1st
MO	6,660	$42,260	31st
NE	2,240	$42,330	30th
ND	740	$51,370	8th
SD	1,010	$43,790	27th
U.S.	363,880	$44,710	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on December 2, 2023