Dental hygienist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$48.06 per hour

$99,970 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$43.30 per hour

$90,060 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$37.67 per hour

$78,340 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$33.91 per hour

$70,540 per year

10th percentile

Starting level dental hygienist earnings begin at:

$31.62 per hour

$65,770 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 New Hampshire. On average, they make less than physical therapists but more than clinical nurse specialists.

Career Median Salary
Physical therapist salary $83K
Nuclear medicine technologist salary $83K
Orthotist and prosthetist salary $84K
Occupational therapist salary $80K
Diagnostic medical sonographer salary $79K
Dental hygienist salary $78K
Nurse educator salary $72K
Speech language pathologist salary $73K
Magnetic resonance imaging technologist salary $74K
Clinical nurse specialist salary $72K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)