Dental Assistant
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Dental Assistant occupation series (code 0681).
The verdict
Dental Assistant is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 3,408 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family. At an average salary of $61,530 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 3,408
- Share of workforce
- 0.2%
- Avg salary
- $61,530
- Avg tenure
- 10.2 yrs
FedScope read on Dental Assistant (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 3,408 people work in the Dental Assistant occupation (OPM code 0681) across federal agencies, 0.2% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved up by 0.4% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Dental Assistant is $61,530 per year. Salaries moved down by -0.0% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 10.2 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Dental Assistant sits inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 06), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Dental Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family.
Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Dental Assistant ranks #18 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.0% of the family's combined 339,162 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (11th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Dental Assistant pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$61,530
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-47.6%
Where Dental Assistant ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $61,530 is higher than 16% of federal occupation series (86 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Dental Assistant sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Dental Assistant ranks higher than 16%.
Related Occupations in Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | 106,218 | $132,267 | 10.2 yrs |
| Medical Support Assistance | 39,856 | $58,279 | 8.2 yrs |
| Medical Officer | 34,687 | $301,569 | 11.6 yrs |
| General Health Science | 17,434 | $133,765 | 11.9 yrs |
| Practical Nurse | 16,755 | $75,898 | 10.4 yrs |
| Pharmacist | 14,529 | $167,390 | 11.1 yrs |
| Nursing Assistant | 14,498 | $55,851 | 7.8 yrs |
| Health Aid and Technician | 12,490 | $61,276 | 10.8 yrs |
| Health System Specialist | 7,966 | $110,534 | 15.9 yrs |
| Pharmacy Technician | 7,658 | $70,794 | 9.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Dental Assistant outside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (3,408 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($61,530 here).
Key takeaways
- Dental Assistant pays below the federal average by 47.6% ($61,530 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 16th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 3,408 employees, 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Dental Assistant ranks #113 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Dental Assistant ranks #18 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.0% of the family's combined 339,162 employees.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.