Average Dental Hygienist Salary

How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make?

On average, a Dental Hygienist make $89,890 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $65,110, while the top-paid 10 percent made $118,400.

Annually National Average Salary: $89,890

$65K

$78K

$89K

$100K

$118K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS.

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$45,640	$48,860	$54,460	$59,610	$61,910
Alaska	$88,220	$110,840	$115,980	$124,410	$128,340
Arizona	$82,830	$92,260	$92,460	$95,870	$100,580
Arkansas	$50,370	$64,970	$78,040	$84,030	$94,330
California	$103,150	$107,730	$118,330	$131,080	$137,870
Colorado	$86,370	$99,320	$101,790	$105,490	$120,400
Connecticut	$82,150	$90,210	$94,220	$101,250	$105,070
Delaware	$82,850	$91,710	$98,660	$101,830	$121,660
District of Columbia	$81,290	$113,530	$113,600	$121,230	$124,890
Florida	$68,540	$78,280	$81,180	$87,690	$93,090
Georgia	$64,590	$76,140	$85,600	$95,980	$99,210
Hawaii	$78,930	$87,710	$91,070	$95,580	$100,340
Idaho	$77,130	$79,960	$84,390	$92,650	$94,740
Illinois	$61,080	$74,360	$82,470	$97,520	$99,870
Indiana	$62,830	$76,550	$82,800	$95,140	$101,460
Iowa	$76,330	$78,910	$83,220	$88,480	$94,220
Kansas	$61,050	$74,880	$79,160	$83,390	$90,210
Kentucky	$57,500	$65,560	$73,850	$78,180	$93,120
Louisiana	$48,620	$76,860	$78,980	$90,570	$96,220
Maine	$72,440	$76,330	$80,310	$82,270	$92,340
Maryland	$82,630	$97,340	$101,140	$107,660	$118,930
Massachusetts	$79,530	$93,860	$96,410	$102,800	$104,840
Michigan	$66,220	$75,390	$76,800	$80,380	$82,490
Minnesota	$79,350	$82,500	$90,140	$95,790	$99,020
Mississippi	$45,260	$58,090	$62,120	$70,970	$73,870
Missouri	$63,420	$76,970	$79,740	$87,880	$92,660
Montana	$80,530	$82,160	$88,990	$95,170	$98,520
Nebraska	$76,700	$78,880	$82,660	$90,260	$93,140
Nevada	$48,850	$89,550	$90,320	$103,270	$107,220
New Hampshire	$83,140	$86,120	$92,840	$101,140	$101,600
New Jersey	$84,610	$96,160	$95,700	$99,560	$104,260
New Mexico	$81,370	$86,110	$92,100	$97,120	$100,050
New York	$65,040	$77,390	$87,290	$100,630	$103,260
North Carolina	$68,460	$78,170	$82,780	$91,520	$96,230
North Dakota	$64,930	$79,610	$80,130	$84,100	$90,660
Ohio	$65,050	$76,960	$79,260	$84,020	$93,500
Oklahoma	$65,920	$83,700	$91,280	$99,730	$104,510
Oregon	$89,250	$100,480	$103,440	$115,190	$118,560
Pennsylvania	$61,500	$70,770	$77,010	$85,450	$99,470
Rhode Island	$76,380	$83,400	$79,980	$84,470	$85,250
South Carolina	$62,600	$72,070	$76,950	$81,130	$92,920
South Dakota	$77,510	$79,800	$81,330	$81,980	$89,020
Tennessee	$57,870	$66,280	$75,920	$83,730	$92,480
Texas	$74,900	$79,630	$87,270	$96,860	$101,340
Utah	$75,920	$77,600	$78,910	$81,710	$86,260
Vermont	$82,440	$89,820	$92,310	$95,890	$98,260
Virginia	$76,720	$81,950	$91,800	$100,910	$113,140
Washington	$101,540	$110,560	$123,510	$132,030	$133,280
West Virginia	$52,700	$61,370	$68,820	$77,510	$82,790
Wisconsin	$74,410	$76,770	$80,450	$83,490	$90,930
Wyoming	$61,720	$77,780	$80,820	$88,290	$95,130
Guam	$42,120	$60,110	$66,940	$78,930	$95,160

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Washington, where the average salary is $123,510.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Washington - $123,510

California - $118,330

Alaska - $115,980

District of Columbia - $113,600

Oregon - $103,440

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$3,750	$4,000	$4,500	$4,917	$5,083
Alaska	$7,333	$9,167	$9,583	$10,333	$10,667
Arizona	$6,833	$7,667	$7,667	$7,917	$8,333
Arkansas	$4,167	$5,333	$6,500	$7,000	$7,833
California	$8,583	$8,917	$9,833	$10,917	$11,417
Colorado	$7,167	$8,250	$8,417	$8,750	$10,000
Connecticut	$6,833	$7,500	$7,833	$8,417	$8,750
Delaware	$6,833	$7,583	$8,167	$8,417	$10,083
District of Columbia	$6,750	$9,417	$9,417	$10,083	$10,333
Florida	$5,667	$6,500	$6,750	$7,250	$7,750
Georgia	$5,333	$6,333	$7,083	$7,917	$8,250
Hawaii	$6,500	$7,250	$7,583	$7,917	$8,333
Idaho	$6,417	$6,583	$7,000	$7,667	$7,833
Illinois	$5,083	$6,167	$6,833	$8,083	$8,250
Indiana	$5,167	$6,333	$6,833	$7,917	$8,417
Iowa	$6,333	$6,500	$6,917	$7,333	$7,833
Kansas	$5,083	$6,167	$6,583	$6,917	$7,500
Kentucky	$4,750	$5,417	$6,083	$6,500	$7,750
Louisiana	$4,000	$6,333	$6,500	$7,500	$8,000
Maine	$6,000	$6,333	$6,667	$6,833	$7,667
Maryland	$6,833	$8,083	$8,417	$8,917	$9,833
Massachusetts	$6,583	$7,750	$8,000	$8,500	$8,667
Michigan	$5,500	$6,250	$6,333	$6,667	$6,833
Minnesota	$6,583	$6,833	$7,500	$7,917	$8,250
Mississippi	$3,750	$4,833	$5,167	$5,833	$6,083
Missouri	$5,250	$6,333	$6,583	$7,250	$7,667
Montana	$6,667	$6,833	$7,333	$7,917	$8,167
Nebraska	$6,333	$6,500	$6,833	$7,500	$7,750
Nevada	$4,000	$7,417	$7,500	$8,583	$8,917
New Hampshire	$6,917	$7,167	$7,667	$8,417	$8,417
New Jersey	$7,000	$8,000	$7,917	$8,250	$8,667
New Mexico	$6,750	$7,167	$7,667	$8,083	$8,333
New York	$5,417	$6,417	$7,250	$8,333	$8,583
North Carolina	$5,667	$6,500	$6,833	$7,583	$8,000
North Dakota	$5,333	$6,583	$6,667	$7,000	$7,500
Ohio	$5,417	$6,333	$6,583	$7,000	$7,750
Oklahoma	$5,417	$6,917	$7,583	$8,250	$8,667
Oregon	$7,417	$8,333	$8,583	$9,583	$9,833
Pennsylvania	$5,083	$5,833	$6,417	$7,083	$8,250
Rhode Island	$6,333	$6,917	$6,583	$7,000	$7,083
South Carolina	$5,167	$6,000	$6,333	$6,750	$7,667
South Dakota	$6,417	$6,583	$6,750	$6,750	$7,417
Tennessee	$4,750	$5,500	$6,250	$6,917	$7,667
Texas	$6,167	$6,583	$7,250	$8,000	$8,417
Utah	$6,250	$6,417	$6,500	$6,750	$7,167
Vermont	$6,833	$7,417	$7,667	$7,917	$8,167
Virginia	$6,333	$6,750	$7,583	$8,333	$9,417
Washington	$8,417	$9,167	$10,250	$11,000	$11,083
West Virginia	$4,333	$5,083	$5,667	$6,417	$6,833
Wisconsin	$6,167	$6,333	$6,667	$6,917	$7,500
Wyoming	$5,083	$6,417	$6,667	$7,333	$7,917
Guam	$3,500	$5,000	$5,500	$6,500	$7,917

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Washington, where the average salary is $10,250.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Washington - $10,250

California - $9,833

Alaska - $9,583

District of Columbia - $9,417

Oregon - $8,583

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$21.94	$23.49	$26.18	$28.66	$29.77
Alaska	$42.41	$53.29	$55.76	$59.81	$61.70
Arizona	$39.82	$44.36	$44.45	$46.09	$48.36
Arkansas	$24.22	$31.24	$37.52	$40.40	$45.35
California	$49.59	$51.80	$56.89	$63.02	$66.29
Colorado	$41.52	$47.75	$48.94	$50.72	$57.89
Connecticut	$39.50	$43.37	$45.30	$48.68	$50.51
Delaware	$39.83	$44.09	$47.43	$48.96	$58.49
District of Columbia	$39.08	$54.58	$54.61	$58.29	$60.04
Florida	$32.95	$37.64	$39.03	$42.16	$44.76
Georgia	$31.05	$36.61	$41.15	$46.15	$47.70
Hawaii	$37.95	$42.17	$43.78	$45.95	$48.24
Idaho	$37.08	$38.44	$40.57	$44.55	$45.55
Illinois	$29.36	$35.75	$39.65	$46.89	$48.02
Indiana	$30.21	$36.81	$39.81	$45.74	$48.78
Iowa	$36.70	$37.94	$40.01	$42.54	$45.30
Kansas	$29.35	$36.00	$38.06	$40.09	$43.37
Kentucky	$27.64	$31.52	$35.51	$37.59	$44.77
Louisiana	$23.38	$36.95	$37.97	$43.54	$46.26
Maine	$34.83	$36.70	$38.61	$39.55	$44.40
Maryland	$39.73	$46.80	$48.62	$51.76	$57.18
Massachusetts	$38.24	$45.12	$46.35	$49.42	$50.41
Michigan	$31.84	$36.24	$36.93	$38.65	$39.66
Minnesota	$38.15	$39.67	$43.34	$46.05	$47.61
Mississippi	$21.76	$27.93	$29.87	$34.12	$35.51
Missouri	$30.49	$37.01	$38.34	$42.25	$44.55
Montana	$38.72	$39.50	$42.78	$45.75	$47.37
Nebraska	$36.88	$37.92	$39.74	$43.39	$44.78
Nevada	$23.48	$43.05	$43.42	$49.65	$51.55
New Hampshire	$39.97	$41.40	$44.63	$48.62	$48.85
New Jersey	$40.68	$46.23	$46.01	$47.87	$50.13
New Mexico	$39.12	$41.40	$44.28	$46.69	$48.10
New York	$31.27	$37.21	$41.97	$48.38	$49.65
North Carolina	$32.92	$37.58	$39.80	$44.00	$46.27
North Dakota	$31.22	$38.27	$38.52	$40.43	$43.59
Ohio	$31.27	$37.00	$38.11	$40.40	$44.95
Oklahoma	$31.69	$40.24	$43.89	$47.95	$50.24
Oregon	$42.91	$48.31	$49.73	$55.38	$57.00
Pennsylvania	$29.57	$34.02	$37.02	$41.08	$47.82
Rhode Island	$36.72	$40.09	$38.45	$40.61	$40.98
South Carolina	$30.10	$34.65	$37.00	$39.01	$44.67
South Dakota	$37.27	$38.37	$39.10	$39.42	$42.80
Tennessee	$27.82	$31.86	$36.50	$40.25	$44.46
Texas	$36.01	$38.29	$41.96	$46.57	$48.72
Utah	$36.50	$37.31	$37.94	$39.29	$41.47
Vermont	$39.64	$43.18	$44.38	$46.10	$47.24
Virginia	$36.88	$39.40	$44.13	$48.51	$54.39
Washington	$48.82	$53.16	$59.38	$63.48	$64.08
West Virginia	$25.34	$29.51	$33.09	$37.26	$39.80
Wisconsin	$35.78	$36.91	$38.68	$40.14	$43.72
Wyoming	$29.67	$37.40	$38.86	$42.45	$45.73
Guam	$20.25	$28.90	$32.18	$37.95	$45.75

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Washington, where the average salary is $59.38.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Washington - $59.38

California - $56.89

Alaska - $55.76

District of Columbia - $54.61

Oregon - $49.73

Dental Hygienists: Salary Overview

Dental hygienists provide preventive care and examine patients for signs of oral diseases.

A dental hygienist typically performs tasks such as: removing tartar, plaque, and stains from teeth, applying sealants to protect teeth, taking x-rays, assessing the patients’ oral health, and referring them to dentists.

Dental hygienists also have to keep records about patient care and treatment plans.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for dental hygienists was $76,220 as of May 2019.

This means that half of all workers in this profession earned less than this amount while half earned more.

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Dental Hygienist Salary by Industry

Dental hygienists held approximately 219,800 jobs in the United States in 2018, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The biggest employers for dental hygienists were offices of dentists but some of them also worked in different sectors, such as the federal executive branch or offices of physicians.

The average annual salary reported by dental hygienists who worked in offices of dentists was $77,540 as of May 2019.

Dental hygienists who work in the field of employment services earned, on average, $75,280 per year.

Offices of physicians paid dental hygienists, on average, with $73,610 per year.

The average annual wage was $77,300 for dental hygienists who worked in outpatient care centers and $61,440 for those employed by the federal executive branch.

The highest average salary was reported by dental hygienists who worked in the industry of agencies, brokerages, and other insurance-related activities.

In this field, the reported average annual wage was $86,460.

Dental hygienists who worked for offices of other health practitioners earned, on average, $81,400 per year, more than the median for this profession.

Dental Hygienist Salary by Level of Experience

Salaries in this field are also dependent upon the dental hygienist’s level of experience.

As an entry-level dental hygienist, your hourly rate will typically start at less than $25 an hour.

According to BLS, the lowest 10 percent of dental hygienists earned less than $25.54 an hour.

After earning a few years of experience your rate may increase slightly.

The report published by BLS shows that the 25^th percentile for this profession was $30.90 which means that 25 percent of dental hygienists made less than this and 75 percent earned more.

As an experienced dental hygienist who has more than 15-20 years of experience, you may earn more than $50 an hour.

However, salaries also vary depending on the region of employment and the location of the practice.

Those who work for established dental practices in large urban areas usually earn more than those who work in small towns.

Salaries also vary by state and the state laws that regulate the procedures that can be performed by dental hygienists.

BLS’s report shows that the highest wages were reported by dental hygienists who practiced in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii.

At the opposite end, there were states like Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia, or South Dakota, where dental hygienists usually earn less than the average for this profession.

Job Prospects

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028.

This expected growth can be explained, in part, by the fact that more states begin to allow dental hygienists to perform more procedures and to become more productive.

Job openings, like earning prospects, vary by geographic location.

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Dental Hygienists. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.