September 14, 2012
Count yourself smart or just plain lucky for deciding on a career in dental assisting. The College Board rated this career as one of the fastest-growing in America today, with an expected job growth in 2012 of 42.7% – way above average. And the fact that you’re likely to find a job (if you haven’t already) and didn’t have to spend a bunch of money on a four-year degree that you’ll have to pay back for the rest of your life makes you a rarity in the younger workforce. Way to go, you.
Life is good for dental assistants, but have you ever thought it could be better? After all, there’s more to life than your career. What do you do in your free time? Do your state and city reflect your needs as a young professional?
We’ve compared the best places to live and work as a dental assistant with the best places to live as a young professional. The top 10 states for young dental assistants were determined using our own “Best and Worst States for Dental Assistants” article, CNBC.com’s "America’s Top States for Business 2012," Business Insider’s "The 10 Best States to Be Young in America," and Money magazine’s "Best Places to Live: Youngest." Points were awarded for position on each list, plus bonus points for each city that was mentioned in the Money magazine article.
The results might shock you, but take a look: you might see something in these top 10 states that you didn’t know existed.
1. Utah, 151 – I kid you not, Utah is the first on our list of places to live and work as a young dental assistant. Forget what you thought you knew about Utah (unless you knew it was awesome), and consider these stats — Utah ranked sixth on our list for best states for dental assistants, ninth for best states for young people, and second for the best state to do business in America (including sixth best cost of living). 15 bonus points were awarded for Utah, as three of its cities – Orem, Provo, and Layton – ranked in the top 25 youngest cities. (Orem is No. 1, with a median age of 23.9.) Sounds like a fun place to be!
2. North Dakota, 148 – Just like you wouldn’t think of Utah first for hip places for young people, you wouldn’t think of North Dakota either. But North Dakota ranked first on the best states for young people and fourth on our list for best states for dental assistants. That’s good enough to put it at second place on this list, but there’s more. Grand Forks was ranked as the 18th youngest city and the state ranked fifth on the best states to do business, which took into account its position at second for the economy and fourth for business friendliness. North Dakota has rocked us thus far, but there’s even more — it has the lowest youth unemployment rate in the country at 5.3%, and a very low rental rate. Now you’re listening.
3. Iowa, 138 – The 10 point difference between Iowa and North Dakota is merely the result of Iowa’s position on the top states for business list. Don’t be dismayed; although Iowa ranked 12th on that list, it came in fifth for the cost of business, third for its economy, and 10th for business friendliness. Aside from that, it’s fifth on our DA list, third among states for young people, and the city of Ames ranks as the 15th best city for young people. In addition, it has the lowest insurance premiums in the nation and a low rental rate, comparable to North Dakota’s. Iowa is looking quite lovely right about now.
4. Nebraska, 129 – Ah, another (nearly) 10-point drop. Nebraska aggressively competes in many areas, but it came in as the 13th best state for dental assistants overall on our list. The competition lies elsewhere: it came in fifth for the Business Insider list for best states in which to be young, and sixth for the top states for business (which includes its place as sixth best for business friendliness). It didn’t have any cities that were ranked in the top 25, but the chances of getting a job here, according to the Yahoo article, are greater than in most other places in America.
5. South Dakota, 127 – South Dakota comes in close behind Nebraska thanks to our original state ranking of 17. It’s the second best state for young people, and the seventh best for business (including being the third best for cost of business and the first for business friendliness). It also boasts cheap housing rental rates. One potential downfall is that it doesn’t have a lot of “youth-oriented retailing,” but I think a savvy dental assistant can work around that, don’t you?
6. New Hampshire, 120 – So you’re savvy, but you need that “youth-oriented retailing.” I understand. Make your way to New Hampshire, where your youth is appreciated. There are tons of bars, fitness clubs, and cool stores, but they come with a price — the rental cost increases quite a bit compared to South Dakota. Nothing shocking. It also ranks third on our list for dental assistants, 10th best state for young people, first for quality of life, and second for business friendliness. Sounds quite pleasant, despite that rent increase. If you like it enough, you can always buy a house instead of rent.
7. Virginia, 103 – Our first Southern representative, Virginia comes in almost 20 points behind New Hampshire. It was ranked No. 1 on our dental assistant list, but the state didn’t rank in the top 10 for young people. Its saving grace is its business savvy and its top-25 rated city of Harrisonburg (ranked third youngest, actually). Virginia tops the business charts at third best, including its third place position for business friendliness, and its eighth place position for workforce. On the fence? I’ll give you one word — grits.
8. Vermont, 99 – Like working out? Vermont has more fitness clubs per capita than any other state. It also ranks high on our DA list at eighth, and is the seventh best state for young people. It ranks third for quality of life, and fourth for education according to the article about top states for business. Downfalls? College tuition prices are some of the highest in the nation, and it ranks 39th on the best states for business list.
9. North Carolina, 87 – Another representative from the South, North Carolina ranks a bit lower on our list for dental assistants at 16th place, but its city of Jacksonville is the 13th youngest, and the state is the fourth best for business. That number includes being third for workforce and eighth for business friendliness. The state as a whole doesn’t rank in the top 10, but these other categories might persuade you to move down South.
10. Kansas, 86 – Kansas, like North Carolina and Virginia, didn’t rank in the top 10 for states in which to be a young professional, but it makes up for that shortcoming by ranking 11th on our list for dental assistants, and having two cities in the top 25 youngest — Manhattan (sixth), and Lawrence (23rd). It also ranks as the 15th best state for business, including ranking sixth for infrastructure and transportation, and 10th for the cost of living.
That covers the top 10 states in which to live as a young dental assistant. The next closest states are Georgia, Wisconsin, and Washington. Take a look at the other tables for some interesting facts and see where your state ranks in the lists.
