Average Salary for Dental Hygienists
SOC 29-2021 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · 2018 data
The median annual wage for Dental Hygienists in the United States is $74,820 ($35.97/hr), based on 2018 BLS OEWS data. Wages range from $51,930 at the 10th percentile to $101,820 at the 90th percentile nationally. An estimated 215,150 people work in this occupation across the country. The national median wage has grown 4.6% since 2014.
Median Annual
$74,820
Mean Annual
$75,500
10th Pct
$51,930
75th Pct
$89,610
Employment
215,150
Salary Distribution
$52k
10th
$62k
25th
$75k
Median
$90k
75th
$102k
90th
Highest Paying Metro Areas
| Metro Area | Median Annual |
|---|---|
| Fairbanks-College, AK | $116,730 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $115,760 |
| Modesto, CA | $115,470 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $112,830 |
| Anchorage, AK | $111,390 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $109,460 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $108,040 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $107,660 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $106,930 |
| Napa, CA | $104,720 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $102,690 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA | $102,230 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $100,680 |
| Salinas, CA | $99,310 |
| Vallejo, CA | $98,040 |
Salary by State
| State | Median Annual |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $116,730 |
| California | $102,510 |
| Washington | $92,820 |
| Arizona | $89,540 |
| Maryland | $89,380 |
| New Jersey | $88,300 |
| Connecticut | $87,890 |
| Nevada | $87,850 |
| Colorado | $86,850 |
| Oregon | $86,160 |
| District of Columbia | $85,560 |
| Massachusetts | $83,880 |
| Virginia | $81,240 |
| New Hampshire | $78,340 |
| Delaware | $77,820 |
| New York | $77,210 |
| Oklahoma | $77,180 |
| Hawaii | $76,670 |
| New Mexico | $76,300 |
| Texas | $75,640 |
| Idaho | $74,480 |
| Montana | $74,230 |
| Illinois | $74,210 |
| Rhode Island | $73,890 |
| Minnesota | $73,740 |
| Arkansas | $72,500 |
| North Dakota | $72,060 |
| Utah | $71,380 |
| Vermont | $71,030 |
| North Carolina | $70,720 |
| Wyoming | $70,340 |
| Missouri | $70,080 |
| Iowa | $69,730 |
| Indiana | $69,700 |
| Ohio | $69,140 |
| Tennessee | $67,610 |
| Nebraska | $67,450 |
| Kansas | $66,900 |
| Florida | $66,470 |
| Georgia | $66,330 |
| Wisconsin | $66,180 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,070 |
| South Dakota | $65,790 |
| Michigan | $64,660 |
| Maine | $64,050 |
| Louisiana | $60,560 |
| South Carolina | $60,240 |
| Kentucky | $59,320 |
| Mississippi | $58,510 |
| Guam | $57,350 |
| West Virginia | $56,600 |
| Alabama | $46,920 |
Salary by Industry
National median wage for Dental Hygienists broken down by industry sector, 2018 data.
| Industry | Median Annual |
|---|---|
| Home Health Care Services | $93,180 |
| Finance and Insurance | $81,040 |
| Insurance Carriers and Related Activities | $81,040 |
| Offices of All Other Health Practitioners | $76,180 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | $75,410 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $75,220 |
| Offices of Dentists | $75,090 |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | $75,040 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | $75,010 |
| Cross-industry, private ownership only | $74,980 |
| Employment Services | $73,480 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | $73,450 |
| Administrative and Support Services | $73,450 |
| Temporary Help Services | $73,210 |
| Offices of Physicians | $71,630 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $71,410 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | $71,160 |
| Nursing and Residential Care Facilities | $69,850 |
| Individual and Family Services | $69,330 |
| Social Assistance | $69,210 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers | $67,890 |
| Educational Services | $67,640 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | $65,600 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | $64,780 |
| Local government, including schools and hospitals | $64,750 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $64,200 |
| Educational Services | $64,130 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) | $63,830 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | $61,260 |
| Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations | $61,260 |
| Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospitals, and the US Postal Service | $61,100 |
| Federal government, including the US Postal Service | $60,720 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) | $60,720 |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding state and local schools and hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OES Designation) | $60,630 |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding state and local schools and hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OES Designation) | $60,630 |
| State government, including schools and hospitals | $60,330 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) | $58,460 |
| Hospitals | $57,470 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services | $56,140 |
| All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services | $56,140 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | $54,740 |
National Wage Trend
View data table
| Year | Median Annual |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $74,820 |
| 2017 | $74,070 |
| 2016 | $72,910 |
| 2015 | $72,330 |
| 2014 | $71,520 |