How much do dental hygienists make?

Dental Hygienist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Dental Hygienists (SOC 29-1292) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Dental hygienists in the US earned a median of $98,100 a year ($47.16 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $83,570 to $108,480.

Median annual pay: $98,100; Mean $98,990
Median hourly pay: $47.16; Mean $47.59
Typical range (10th–90th): $74.9K–$126K; $74,880 to $126,050
US jobs: 222,740; +8.0% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a dental hygienist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Alaska

Dental Hygienist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$74,880
25th percentile$83,570
Median$98,100
75th percentile$108,480
90th percentile$126,050

Half of all dental hygienists earned more than $98,100 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $74,880; the top 10% made over $126,050. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $83,570 to $108,480.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$74,880	$36.00	$6,240
25th	$83,570	$40.18	$6,964
Median (50th)	$98,100	$47.16	$8,175
75th	$108,480	$52.16	$9,040
90th	$126,050	$60.60	$10,504
Mean (average)	$98,990	$47.59	$8,249

Dental Hygienist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for dental hygienists by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $137,220
2. Alaska $132,690
3. Washington $131,160
4. California $124,930
5. Oregon $122,080

Lowest-paying states

50. Alabama $61,160
49. Mississippi $67,280
48. West Virginia $73,840
47. Kentucky $78,830
46. Pennsylvania $80,610

Best after cost of living: Alaska. Its median of $132,690 is worth about $129,632 at national-average prices, more than in District of Columbia once prices are counted.


Alabama	$61,160	50	$68,856	50	$29.41	3,170	1.50
Alaska	$132,690	2	$129,632	1	$63.79	790	2.43
Arizona	$101,010	14	$100,331	22	$48.56	4,530	1.40
Arkansas	$86,760	39	$99,796	23	$41.71	1,740	1.33
California	$124,930	4	$112,834	6	$60.06	24,500	1.34
Colorado	$109,580	7	$106,335	8	$52.68	4,270	1.49
Connecticut	$100,690	15	$97,182	32	$48.41	3,240	1.91
Delaware	$98,910	18	$99,100	27	$47.55	750	1.55
District of Columbia	$137,220	1	$124,858	2	$65.97	320	0.45
Florida	$91,980	34	$88,943	42	$44.22	11,980	1.21
Georgia	$95,490	28	$99,166	25	$45.91	7,440	1.52
Hawaii	$97,570	23	$88,740	43	$46.91	830	1.32
Idaho	$94,650	29	$99,116	26	$45.51	2,060	2.40
Illinois	$96,670	25	$96,711	33	$46.48	8,970	1.47
Indiana	$92,330	32	$98,930	28	$44.39	5,020	1.57
Iowa	$84,010	44	$95,725	36	$40.39	2,440	1.56
Kansas	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kentucky	$78,830	47	$87,434	44	$37.90	2,070	1.04
Louisiana	$85,240	40	$96,636	34	$40.98	2,690	1.39
Maine	$97,680	21	$100,649	21	$46.96	1,060	1.66
Maryland	$107,830	8	$102,735	15	$51.84	3,500	1.27
Massachusetts	$100,640	16	$95,162	37	$48.39	6,850	1.88
Michigan	$83,790	45	$87,084	45	$40.28	8,640	1.96
Minnesota	$103,970	11	$105,424	9	$49.99	4,110	1.39
Mississippi	$67,280	49	$77,375	49	$32.35	1,140	0.98
Missouri	$92,750	30	$102,128	18	$44.59	3,810	1.30
Montana	$98,440	19	$104,010	12	$47.33	860	1.68
Nebraska	$92,580	31	$102,749	14	$44.51	1,280	1.25
Nevada	$115,290	6	$115,314	5	$55.43	1,510	0.97
New Hampshire	$101,250	13	$97,202	31	$48.68	1,360	1.99
New Jersey	$107,040	9	$98,378	29	$51.46	7,230	1.69
New Mexico	$95,940	27	$104,043	11	$46.12	1,420	1.63
New York	$106,130	10	$98,340	30	$51.03	13,660	1.41
North Carolina	$97,850	20	$103,736	13	$47.04	6,690	1.35
North Dakota	$90,530	36	$101,766	20	$43.53	660	1.55
Ohio	$88,990	37	$95,921	35	$42.78	8,630	1.55
Oklahoma	$97,580	22	$111,085	7	$46.91	2,860	1.67
Oregon	$122,080	5	$118,110	4	$58.69	3,600	1.83
Pennsylvania	$80,610	46	$82,616	47	$38.76	7,970	1.31
Rhode Island	$86,910	38	$84,973	46	$41.78	770	1.53
South Carolina	$84,340	43	$89,964	41	$40.55	3,160	1.37
South Dakota	$92,210	33	$104,091	10	$44.33	630	1.38
Tennessee	$84,640	42	$92,130	39	$40.69	4,570	1.40
Texas	$99,240	17	$102,249	17	$47.71	16,380	1.16
Utah	$91,120	35	$92,167	38	$43.81	3,780	2.18
Vermont	$97,470	24	$99,502	24	$46.86	560	1.83
Virginia	$102,950	12	$101,826	19	$49.50	3,770	0.92
Washington	$131,160	3	$122,565	3	$63.06	6,330	1.78
West Virginia	$73,840	48	$82,506	48	$35.50	1,250	1.78
Wisconsin	$96,540	26	$102,598	16	$46.41	5,080	1.73
Wyoming	$85,130	41	$91,843	40	$40.93	500	1.78

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (Kansas). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for dental hygienists

377 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$146,760	$126,941	3,780
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$139,990	$126,776	1,620
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$136,210	$126,373	310
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$135,990	$124,993	260
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$133,740	$120,342	3,500
Anchorage, AK	$132,740	$125,915	490
Fairbanks-College, AK	$131,860	$127,761	70
Napa, CA	$131,370	$116,717	100
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$131,040	$124,083	190
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$130,600	$118,840	220

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	14,230	$109,720	$97,474
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,940	$122,980	$108,289
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	7,050	$101,870	$98,817
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	6,470	$100,260	$96,781
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	5,150	$101,990	$94,203
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	4,710	$100,370	$100,312
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	4,180	$100,820	$98,309
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	3,780	$84,480	$84,229
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	3,780	$146,760	$126,941
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	3,500	$133,740	$120,342

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves dental hygienist pay: employers and settings

Where you live moves hygienist pay more than anything else. The District of Columbia leads with a median of $137,220, followed by Alaska at $132,690, Washington at $131,160, California at $124,930, and Oregon at $122,080. At the low end are West Virginia at $73,840, Mississippi at $67,280, and Alabama, the lowest, at $61,160. After adjusting for living costs, Alaska comes out best, at $129,632.

Employer type matters less, because nearly everyone works in a dental practice. Offices of dentists pay a median of $98,280. Staffing work through employment services is a bit higher at $102,340; these are hygienists placed by staffing agencies. Public jobs pay less: $81,940 in the federal government, $85,540 in local government and $75,050 in state government, though those roles can come with different benefits.

Across all hygienists, pay runs from $74,880, the 10th percentile, to $126,050, the 90th. That spread reflects state, employer and hours, not just years on the job. Because many hygienists work part time or split their week between offices, annual earnings depend heavily on how many days you book; the hourly median is $47.16.

Where dental hygienists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Dentists	95%	$98,280
Outpatient Care Centers	1.1%	$94,880
Offices of Physicians	1%	$91,160
Employment Services	0.9%	$102,340
Federal Executive Branch	0.4%	$81,940
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	0.3%	$84,020

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	220,190	$98,200
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	910	$81,940
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	830	$75,050
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	810	$85,540

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Dental Hygienist pay over time

Median annual pay, 2019–2025

$98.1K $76.2K

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $76,220 in 2019 to $98,100 in 2025, up 29% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2019 median is worth $95,677 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 3% over the period.

The series starts in 2019 because BLS changed how it defines or publishes this occupation before then, so earlier figures are not comparable.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What dental hygienists do

A dental hygienist is the licensed clinician who handles the preventive side of a dental visit. Before the dentist comes in, the hygienist reviews the patient's health history, checks the gums with a periodontal probe, scales tartar from above and below the gumline, polishes the teeth and takes x-rays. They chart pockets, bleeding and suspected decay so the dentist can make the diagnosis and plan treatment.

Almost all hygienists work in private dental offices: 95% of the jobs in our data are there. Smaller numbers work in outpatient clinics, physicians' offices, staffing agencies and federal or local government health programs. The work is close-up and repetitive: you sit or stand beside a reclined patient for most of the day, wearing gloves, a mask and eye protection, with appointments booked back to back. Hygienists also teach patients how to brush, floss and care for their gums, and what they may do, and how closely a dentist must supervise, depends on the state.

A typical day

Go over each patient's medical history and medications before starting care
Probe and measure gum pockets, and look for bleeding, recession and sores
Scrape hardened tartar and stains off teeth, including below the gumline, with hand and ultrasonic scalers
Take dental x-rays and record what they show for the dentist
Paint on fluoride varnish or place sealants to protect teeth from decay
Check the neck and jaw for swollen lymph nodes and other early signs of oral cancer
Coach patients on home care, then sterilize instruments and book their next cleaning

Also called: hygienist, dental hygiene, licensed dental hygienist, pediatric dental hygienist, registered dental hygienist (rdh).

How to become a dental hygienist

Full guide

To become a dental hygienist, you finish an associate degree from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program, pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a clinical exam, and get a license from your state. Most people take about 3 years, including prerequisite courses.

Typical time: 3 years; Fastest: About 2 years
Minimum education: Associate degree from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program
License: Required in all 50 states and DC
Typical training cost: $15.7K–$40.5K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 3 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $15.7K–$40.5K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $98,100; $47,120 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 16–41%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($47,120 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (3 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for dental hygienists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +8.0%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 225,300; 243,200 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 15,000; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 1.3%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS expects dental hygienist jobs to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, from 225,300 to 243,200. That is more than twice the 3.5% projected for all occupations. About 15,000 openings a year are expected, most of them to replace hygienists who retire or change careers rather than from new positions.

The drivers are steady: an aging population that keeps more of its natural teeth, more attention to the links between gum disease and overall health, and state laws that let hygienists do more of what they are trained for. Part-time openings are common, so a full-time schedule may take more than one employer.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Dental Hygienist salary FAQ

How much do dental hygienists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for dental hygienists was $47.16 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36.00 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $60.60. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays dental hygienists the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for dental hygienists, $137,220 a year, followed by Alaska ($132,690) and Washington ($131,160). After adjusting for each state's price level, Alaska comes out ahead at about $129,632 in national-average dollars.

Do dental hygienists make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of dental hygienists earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $98,100, and the top 10% earn more than $126,050. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do most dental hygienists work full time?

Many do not. BLS notes that part-time work is common because a dentist may need a hygienist only a few days a week. Some hygienists build a full week by working for two or three practices, and others pick up shifts through staffing agencies. If you need a steady 40-hour week with benefits, ask about schedule and benefits early, since a single office may not offer both.

Do dental hygienists earn more in dental offices or in government jobs?

In our data, dental offices pay more. Offices of dentists have a median of $98,280 while the federal government median is $81,940 and state government is $75,050. Staffing agencies, listed as employment services, show $102,340 in our data. Government hygienists often work in public health clinics, school programs or federal facilities, where the schedule and benefits package can matter as much as the salary.

Which states have the most dental hygienist jobs?

California has by far the most, with 24,500 hygienists, followed by Texas with 16,380, New York with 13,660, Florida with 11,980 and Illinois with 8,970. Large states have more jobs simply because they have more dental offices, but competition and pay vary inside each state, so compare metro areas before you choose where to train or move.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1292
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1292.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Dental Hygienists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Degree Options, American Dental Hygienists' Association · checked October 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions: Become a Dental Hygienist, American Dental Hygienists' Association · checked October 28, 2026
National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) 2026 Candidate Guide, Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations · checked October 28, 2026
ADEX Dental Hygiene Examination fees, CDCA-WREB-CITA · checked October 28, 2026
CRDTS Dental Hygiene, Central Regional Dental Testing Service · checked October 28, 2026
Dental Hygiene Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (DHLOSCE), Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations · checked October 28, 2026
Find a Program, Commission on Dental Accreditation · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder: Dental Hygienists, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Old Dominion University BSDH Post-Licensure Online Program, ADEA DHCAS · checked October 28, 2026
Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs, Commission on Dental Accreditation · checked October 28, 2026

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