Dental Hygienists pay in the U.S.
$98,990avg. a year
$47.59 an hour · 222,740 employed
Dental Hygienists in the U.S. earn an average of $98,990 a year and a median of $98,100. Pay is highest in Washington ($131,530) and lowest in Alabama ($60,850).
$98,100Median pay
$47.59Average hourly
+27%Avg. pay since 2020
222,740Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for dental hygienists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
16,330 jobs
Washington
$131,530
$63.24 an hour
224,500 jobs
California
$128,110
$61.59 an hour
3320 jobs
District of Columbia
$127,910
$61.50 an hour
4790 jobs
Alaska
$122,560
$58.92 an hour
53,600 jobs
Oregon
$120,470
$57.92 an hour
61,510 jobs
Nevada
$114,360
$54.98 an hour
74,270 jobs
Colorado
$110,030
$52.90 an hour
83,500 jobs
Maryland
$109,090
$52.45 an hour
93,770 jobs
Virginia
$105,120
$50.54 an hour
107,230 jobs
New Jersey
$104,410
$50.20 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Dental Hygienists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $88k$88k–$94k$94k–$103k$103k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $180,520 | $86.79 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $142,850 | $68.68 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $141,230 | $67.90 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $137,050 | $65.89 |
| Napa, CA | $131,610 | $63.27 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $130,790 | $62.88 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $129,740 | $62.38 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $129,690 | $62.35 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Speech-Language Pathologists$98,170
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Dental Hygienists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,850 | $61,160 | 3,170 |
| Alaska | $122,560 | $132,690 | 790 |
| Arizona | $101,450 | $101,010 | 4,530 |
| Arkansas | $85,660 | $86,760 | 1,740 |
| California | $128,110 | $124,930 | 24,500 |
| Colorado | $110,030 | $109,580 | 4,270 |
| Connecticut | $98,720 | $100,690 | 3,240 |
| Delaware | $100,660 | $98,910 | 750 |
| District of Columbia | $127,910 | $137,220 | 320 |
| Florida | $88,320 | $91,980 | 11,980 |
| Georgia | $91,220 | $95,490 | 7,440 |
| Hawaii | $93,660 | $97,570 | 830 |
| Idaho | $95,500 | $94,650 | 2,060 |
| Illinois | $91,820 | $96,670 | 8,970 |
| Indiana | $89,660 | $92,330 | 5,020 |
| Iowa | $86,640 | $84,010 | 2,440 |
| Kentucky | $78,950 | $78,830 | 2,070 |
| Louisiana | $83,160 | $85,240 | 2,690 |
| Maine | $96,440 | $97,680 | 1,060 |
| Maryland | $109,090 | $107,830 | 3,500 |
| Massachusetts | $102,160 | $100,640 | 6,850 |
| Michigan | $85,940 | $83,790 | 8,640 |
| Minnesota | $103,830 | $103,970 | 4,110 |
| Mississippi | $68,630 | $67,280 | 1,140 |
| Missouri | $88,430 | $92,750 | 3,810 |
| Montana | $96,730 | $98,440 | 860 |
| Nebraska | $88,990 | $92,580 | 1,280 |
| Nevada | $114,360 | $115,290 | 1,510 |
| New Hampshire | $102,640 | $101,250 | 1,360 |
| New Jersey | $104,410 | $107,040 | 7,230 |
| New Mexico | $94,890 | $95,940 | 1,420 |
| New York | $103,640 | $106,130 | 13,660 |
| North Carolina | $93,640 | $97,850 | 6,690 |
| North Dakota | $89,750 | $90,530 | 660 |
| Ohio | $89,900 | $88,990 | 8,630 |
| Oklahoma | $98,000 | $97,580 | 2,860 |
| Oregon | $120,470 | $122,080 | 3,600 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,260 | $80,610 | 7,970 |
| Rhode Island | $88,660 | $86,910 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $84,980 | $84,340 | 3,160 |
| South Dakota | $89,180 | $92,210 | 630 |
| Tennessee | $87,420 | $84,640 | 4,570 |
| Texas | $96,240 | $99,240 | 16,380 |
| Utah | $87,770 | $91,120 | 3,780 |
| Vermont | $97,540 | $97,470 | 560 |
| Virginia | $105,120 | $102,950 | 3,770 |
| Washington | $131,530 | $131,160 | 6,330 |
| West Virginia | $71,290 | $73,840 | 1,250 |
| Wisconsin | $94,180 | $96,540 | 5,080 |
| Wyoming | $82,320 | $85,130 | 500 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$109,220
14,230 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$112,080
7,940 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$97,220
7,050 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$95,740
6,470 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$104,070
5,150 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$96,990
4,710 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$98,510
4,180 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$87,730
3,780 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do dental hygienists make?
The average is $98,990 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $98,100 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $47.59, and the median is $47.16 an hour.
Which state pays dental hygienists the most?
Washington, with an average of $131,530 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $180,520.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $74,880 a year, and the top 10% earn over $126,050.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1292. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.