Dental hygienist salary by state

How much do dental hygienists make?

Dental hygienists make a median of $98,100 a year nationally, which means half of the 222,740 hygienists in the BLS survey earned more and half earned less.^[oews_hyg] The average (mean) wage is $98,990, a little above the median because a group of high earners in expensive states pulls it up. BLS converts the hourly rate to an annual figure by multiplying by 2,080 hours, so these annual numbers describe full-time pay.^[oews_tech]

The right-hand column is our reading of the state tables below, not a BLS category: the survey reports wages by place and occupation, not by years of experience. Use the dental hygienist hourly pay page if you are paid by the hour or work part time.

Dental hygienist salary by state

Dental hygienist salaries are highest on the West Coast, in Alaska and in Washington, DC, and lowest in parts of the South. District of Columbia ($137,220), Alaska ($132,690), Washington ($131,160), California ($124,930), Oregon ($122,080) lead the list; Alabama ($61,160), Mississippi ($67,280), West Virginia ($73,840), Kentucky ($78,830), Pennsylvania ($80,610) pay the least at the median.^[oews_hyg] The darker the cell, the higher the median.

• Alabama$61,160
• Alaska$132,690
• Arizona$101,010
• Arkansas$86,760
• California$124,930
• Colorado$109,580
• Connecticut$100,690
• Delaware$98,910
• District of Columbia$137,220
• Florida$91,980
• Georgia$95,490
• Hawaii$97,570
• Idaho$94,650
• Illinois$96,670
• Indiana$92,330
• Iowa$84,010
• Kansasn/a
• Kentucky$78,830
• Louisiana$85,240
• Maine$97,680
• Maryland$107,830
• Massachusetts$100,640
• Michigan$83,790
• Minnesota$103,970
• Mississippi$67,280
• Missouri$92,750
• Montana$98,440
• Nebraska$92,580
• Nevada$115,290
• New Hampshire$101,250
• New Jersey$107,040
• New Mexico$95,940
• New York$106,130
• North Carolina$97,850
• North Dakota$90,530
• Ohio$88,990
• Oklahoma$97,580
• Oregon$122,080
• Pennsylvania$80,610
• Rhode Island$86,910
• South Carolina$84,340
• South Dakota$92,210
• Tennessee$84,640
• Texas$99,240
• Utah$91,120
• Vermont$97,470
• Virginia$102,950
• Washington$131,160
• West Virginia$73,840
• Wisconsin$96,540
• Wyoming$85,130

Darker = higher median. Range $61,160 (Alabama) to $137,220 (District of Columbia).

The five states with the most hygienist jobs are California (24,500), Texas (16,380), New York (13,660), Florida (11,980), Illinois (8,970). We have separate pages for the three largest by population: dental hygienist salary in California, Texas and Florida, each with that state’s license rules.

No published May 2025 estimate: Kansas.

Highest paying states for dental hygienists, after cost of living

A higher salary does not always mean more spending power, because the top-paying states are also expensive places to live. BLS wage data are not adjusted for prices, so compare a state’s median with the national figure and then with local rent before you move for pay. A state ranked lower on salary but with cheaper housing can leave you with more after rent. The calculator above lets you enter your state income tax rate, which matters too: Washington, Nevada, Texas and Florida, four states with hygienist medians from $91,980 to $131,160, do not tax wages at all.^{[wa_dor][nv_tax][tx_const][fl_dor]}

Dental hygienist take-home pay

A single dental hygienist earning the $98,100 national median keeps about 79% of it ($77,843) after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare under 2026 rules, before any state income tax or retirement savings. The calculator shows each line: the $16,100 standard deduction for single filers, the 10–22% federal brackets that apply at this income,^[irs_2026] 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare.^[irs_p15] Add your state rate to see your own number, and use the 401(k) field if your office offers a retirement plan.

• Part-time is common. BLS notes that many dental hygienists work part time and some work for more than one dentist.^[ooh_hyg] Change “Hours a week” to 24 or 32 to see what three or four days a week pays.
• Per diem and temp work pay by the day or hour and often without benefits, so compare total compensation, not only the rate.
• Benefits are not in these numbers. OEWS wages exclude employer health insurance, retirement contributions and paid time off.^[oews_tech]

Dental hygienist job outlook

BLS projects dental hygienist employment to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average for all occupations, with about 15,000 openings a year from growth and replacement.^[ooh_hyg] Nearly all hygienists (94%) work in dentists’ offices. For dental assistants BLS projects 7% growth and about 53,000 openings a year.^[ooh_da]

Dental hygienist vs other dental careers

Dental hygienists earn about twice what dental assistants make and roughly 57% of a general dentist’s median wage. The schooling gap is just as large: an associate degree for hygiene versus a bachelor’s degree plus four years of dental school for dentistry.

For a side-by-side view in any state, use the dental hygienist vs dental assistant comparison. If you are deciding whether to train, start with how to become a dental hygienist and the dental hygiene school cost payback calculator.

About these numbers

All wages on this page are Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimates for May 2025, the newest BLS release, taken directly from the BLS data API.^{[oews_hyg][oews_tech]} OEWS surveys employers, not workers, and covers wage and salary employees; self-employed hygienists are not included. Estimates for small states have wider sampling error, and BLS did not publish a May 2025 estimate for Kansas, which is why it is missing from the table.