The average salary for a dental hygienist in the United States is around $74,820 per year.
Avg Salary
Dental hygienists earn an average yearly salary of $74,820.
Wages typically start from $51,930 and go up to $107,800.
18% above national average Updated in 2018
Dental hygienist earnings by seniority
Top-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:
$51.83 per hour
$107,800 per year
Senior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:
$43.59 per hour
$90,675 per year
Mid-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:
$35.97 per hour
$74,820 per year
Junior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:
$29.68 per hour
$61,737 per year
Starting level dental hygienist earnings begin at:
$24.97 per hour
$51,930 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Dental hygienist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $92,820 |
| Maryland | $89,380 |
| New Jersey | $88,300 |
| Connecticut | $87,890 |
| Nevada | $87,850 |
| Colorado | $86,850 |
| Arizona | $86,613 |
| Oregon | $86,160 |
| District of Columbia | $85,560 |
| Massachusetts | $83,880 |
| Virginia | $81,240 |
| New Hampshire | $78,340 |
| Hawaii | $77,920 |
| Delaware | $77,820 |
| New York | $77,210 |
| Oklahoma | $77,180 |
| New Mexico | $76,300 |
| Texas | $75,640 |
| Idaho | $74,430 |
| Montana | $74,230 |
| 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 |
| Ohio | $69,140 |
| Iowa | $67,710 |
| Nebraska | $67,450 |
| Florida | $66,470 |
| Georgia | $66,330 |
| Tennessee | $66,290 |
| Wisconsin | $66,180 |
| South Dakota | $65,790 |
| Indiana | $65,121 |
| Michigan | $64,660 |
| Maine | $64,050 |
| Kansas | $63,665 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,422 |
| Louisiana | $60,560 |
| South Carolina | $60,240 |
| Illinois | $60,139 |
| Kentucky | $59,910 |
| Mississippi | $58,510 |
| Guam | $57,350 |
| West Virginia | $56,600 |
| Alabama | $44,581 |
| Alaska | $116,730 |
| California | $102,510 |
How much does a Dental Hygienist earn?
Dental hygienists enjoy a comfortable salary and a number of benefits, considering that half of them work part-time. In 2014, their median salary was $71,520. The best-paid earned about $97,390, and the bottom 10 percent earned $49,190. The top-paying industry for dental hygienists, according to the US Department of Labor, was ambulatory healthcare service providers where dental hygienists earned an annual, average salary of $83,360 per year.
Dental hygienists may be paid by the hour, they may be salary-based, or their earnings may vary based on their production:
Base hourly plus commission: This guarantees dental hygienists a minimum salary, while also providing them with incentive for efficient production.
Straight Commission: Dental hygienists may be put in a financially risky situation, particularly in a new practice or one that is not always busy. However, dental hygienists may earn about 33 percent of total hygiene production, thereby opening up the door for a higher salary than those paid a straight hourly salary.
Hourly plus bonus system: Bonuses for dental hygienists are commonplace, and many dentists use them as incentives for efficient production. Bonuses often equal between 10 and 20 percent of total services performed and billed for.
Dental Hygienist Compensation by Geographical Region
Dental hygienist salaries in the United States also vary slightly according to geographical location. District of Columbia’s dental hygienists earn the highest average salary at $93,940, followed closely by California’s dental hygienists who earn an average of $93,920, and Washington State’s dental hygienists who earn $92,610 on average.
The state of California tends to compensate their dental hygienists particularly well, especially in the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and Sacramento. The highest paid in the dental hygienist profession work in the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Sacramento, California, and Corvallis, Oregon. The Mount Vernon, Washington area also pays well, as does the city of Santa Cruz, California.
How do dental hygienist salaries compare to similar careers?
Dental hygienists earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than audiologists but more than diagnostic medical sonographers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Audiologist salary | $76K |
| Nurse educator salary | $73K |
| Genetic counselor salary | $80K |
| Speech language pathologist salary | $78K |
| Nuclear medicine technologist salary | $77K |
| Dental hygienist salary | $75K |
| Clinical nurse specialist salary | $72K |
| Acute care nurse practitioner salary | $72K |
| Orthotist and prosthetist salary | $69K |
| Diagnostic medical sonographer salary | $73K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)