Dental hygienist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$62.24 per hour

$129,460 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$58.53 per hour

$121,730 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$55.43 per hour

$115,290 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$50.16 per hour

$104,330 per year

10th percentile

Starting level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$47.98 per hour

$99,800 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Dental hygienist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Texas $99,240
Delaware $98,910
Montana $98,440
North Carolina $97,850
Maine $97,680
Oklahoma $97,580
Hawaii $97,570
Vermont $97,470
Illinois $96,670
Wisconsin $96,540
New Mexico $95,940
Georgia $95,490
Idaho $94,650
Missouri $92,750
Nebraska $92,580
Indiana $92,330
South Dakota $92,210
Florida $91,980
Utah $91,120
North Dakota $90,530
Ohio $88,990
Rhode Island $86,910
Arkansas $86,760
Louisiana $85,240
Wyoming $85,130
Tennessee $84,640
South Carolina $84,340
Iowa $84,010
Michigan $83,790
Pennsylvania $80,610
Kentucky $78,830
West Virginia $73,840
Mississippi $67,280
Kansas $63,665
Alabama $61,160
Guam $57,350
District of Columbia $137,220
Alaska $132,690
Washington $131,160
California $124,930
Oregon $122,080
Nevada $115,290
Colorado $109,580
Maryland $107,830
New Jersey $107,040
New York $106,130
Minnesota $103,970
Virginia $102,950
New Hampshire $101,250
Arizona $101,010
Connecticut $100,690
Massachusetts $100,640

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 Nevada. On average, they make less than neuropsychologists but more than acute care nurse practitioners.

Career Median Salary
Neuropsychologist salary $147K
Physical therapist salary $111K
Audiologist salary $133K
Counseling psychologist salary $103K
Clinical psychologist salary $103K
Dental hygienist salary $115K
Nuclear medicine technologist salary $109K
Occupational therapist salary $111K
Radiation therapist salary $93K
Acute care nurse practitioner salary $104K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)