U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released earlier this year indicated that nearly 363,900 dental assistants were employed in the United States as of May 2022.  At that time, roughly 78,300 dental assistants were working in the six-state Far West region of the country.  Although dental assistant annual mean wage levels were poor in Hawaii and Nevada, BLS data revealed the Far West U.S. to be a modestly good one for dental assistant pay.  Over 93% of the region's dental assistants lived in a state where the annual mean wage level for dental assistants was above the national average.  Moreover, this included three states that ranked among the ten best states in the nation for dental assistant annual mean wages.  A closer review of May 2022 BLS data reveals the following about dental assistant pay in the Far West U.S.:

Dental Assistant Pay in the Far West U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AK	1,080	$52,430	4th
CA	55,360	$48,990	11th
HI	1,620	$39,590	42nd
NV	3,720	$41,240	35th
OR	5,200	$51,990	6th
WA	11,290	$50,430	9th
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 November 11, 2023