Automotive Service Technicians vs Dental Assistants
Automotive Service Technicians earns $2,550 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Automotive Service Technicians | Dental Assistants | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $50,620 | $48,070 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $34,660 to $81,790 | $37,130 to $62,250 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 1 | 1 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Jobs opening up each year | 66,200 | 53,000 |
| Growth by 2035 | 5.0% | 7.4% |
| People doing it now | 825,800 | 388,600 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $68,660 in Washington DC down to $37,660 in West Virginia | $65,270 in Minnesota down to $37,760 in Utah |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Automotive Service Technicians
- Rail Car Repairers
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers
- Motorcycle Mechanics
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
- Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Dental Assistants
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Assistants
- Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
- Surgical Assistants
- Endoscopy Technicians
- Dental Laboratory Technicians
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.