Dental Hygienist Salary

The median Dental Hygienist Salary is calculated by the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics from a variety of sources. Dental Hygienists work in a number of settings including hospitals, dental clinics and schools.  The salaries of Dental Hygienists vary depending on the location and the setting.  The assumption was made that the Dental Hygienists reflected here were working an average of 40 hours per week with a total of 2080 hours per year.

Dental Hygienist Salary: Median Hourly & Annual Data

Hourly

Dental Hygienists median salary is $32.38 per hour.  The lowest 10% earn $21.59 per hour and those in the upper 10% earn more than $44.64 per hour.

Annually

On an annual basis the median Dental Hygienist salary is $67,340.  The lowest 10% earn $44,900 per year while the upper 10% earn more than $92,860 per year.  These salaries are calculated as a mean or average. 

Lowest and Highest Dental Hygienist Salary

The lowest paid Dental Hygienists earn less than $45,000 annually while the highest paid Dental Hygienists earn as much as $112,000 per year.

Top 5 States

The best paying states for dental hygienists to earn a salary are Alaska ($96,280), Washington ($90,140), California ($87,540), Nevada ($81,090), and Oregon ($77,520).

 Top 5 Metropolitan Areas

The best city or metropolitan areas to earn a Dental Hygienist salary are Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA ($112,200), San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division ($102,470), Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($97,400), Anchorage, AK ($97,290), and Chico, CA($96,730).

Private Practice vs. Employment

A number of states have passed legislation allowing Dental Hygienists to practice independently without the supervision of a dentist.  The numbers working in private practice are still very small with California and Colorado listing less than 30 each.  There are 173,900 dental hygienists working in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Approximately 96% (166,800) of them are listed as working in dental offices. A small number (1,520) are listed as working for employment agencies which essentially means contract workers. 

Employment Data

There are 173,900 dental hygienists working in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Approximately 96% (166,800) of them are listed as working in dental offices. A small number (1,520) are listed as working for employment agencies which essentially means contract workers.  The rest are employed in doctors’ offices, hospitals and for the federal government. 

Where They Work

Of all the Dental Hygienists employed in the United States over 169,400 of them work in the offices of other healthcare practitioners such as other Dentists,  doctors and etc.  This is also where the best salaries can be found. A few of them are found working in research and teaching at universities.

Benefits

Fringe benefits are going to be similar to those offered by small businesses or single proprietor businesses. A typical employment benefits package is worth over $20,000 per year.