Dental Hygienist Salary by State
How much dental hygienists earn in each state. SOC code 29-1292 (Dental Hygienists). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$98,100Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$98,990Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$47.16Mean $47.59/hour
- U.S. employment222,740Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateWashington$131,530 mean
- States with data50 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do dental hygienists make?
Nationally, dental hygienists earn a median of $98,100 a year and a mean of $98,990 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $83,570 (25th percentile) and $108,480 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $74,880 and the top 10% more than $126,050.
That median is 1.9× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $131,530 in Washington (highest) to $60,850 in Alabama (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, Alaska comes out on top at $129,580 in national-average dollars.
BLS did not publish wage estimates for this occupation in: Kansas.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $74,880 | $6,240 | $36.00 |
| 25th | $83,570 | $6,964 | $40.18 |
| Median | $98,100 | $8,175 | $47.16 |
| 75th | $108,480 | $9,040 | $52.15 |
| 90th | $126,050 | $10,504 | $60.60 |
| Mean | $98,990 | $8,249 | $47.59 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Dental Hygienist salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $131,530 | $131,160 | $63.06 | $107,090 | $162,050 | $122,579 | 6,330 |
| California | $128,110 | $124,930 | $60.06 | $102,090 | $151,920 | $112,855 | 24,500 |
| District of Columbia | $127,910 | $137,220 | $65.97 | $86,120 | $155,840 | $124,859 | 320 |
| Alaska | $122,560 | $132,690 | $63.79 | $60,590 | $138,840 | $129,580 | 790 |
| Oregon | $120,470 | $122,080 | $58.69 | $104,530 | $134,120 | $118,066 | 3,600 |
| Nevada | $114,360 | $115,290 | $55.43 | $99,800 | $129,460 | $115,290 | 1,510 |
| Colorado | $110,030 | $109,580 | $52.68 | $95,680 | $128,900 | $106,285 | 4,270 |
| Maryland | $109,090 | $107,830 | $51.84 | $85,440 | $122,740 | $102,695 | 3,500 |
| Virginia | $105,120 | $102,950 | $49.50 | $86,730 | $125,560 | $101,830 | 3,770 |
| New Jersey | $104,410 | $107,040 | $51.46 | $94,260 | $117,730 | $98,382 | 7,230 |
| Minnesota | $103,830 | $103,970 | $49.99 | $82,110 | $120,270 | $105,446 | 4,110 |
| New York | $103,640 | $106,130 | $51.03 | $77,680 | $126,640 | $98,360 | 13,660 |
| New Hampshire | $102,640 | $101,250 | $48.68 | $86,400 | $122,980 | $97,169 | 1,360 |
| Massachusetts | $102,160 | $100,640 | $48.39 | $93,510 | $117,380 | $95,123 | 6,850 |
| Arizona | $101,450 | $101,010 | $48.56 | $91,480 | $121,910 | $100,308 | 4,530 |
| Delaware | $100,660 | $98,910 | $47.55 | $93,580 | $112,940 | $99,108 | 750 |
| Connecticut | $98,720 | $100,690 | $48.41 | $87,190 | $106,020 | $97,191 | 3,240 |
| Oklahoma | $98,000 | $97,580 | $46.91 | $81,290 | $119,760 | $111,139 | 2,860 |
| Vermont | $97,540 | $97,470 | $46.86 | $81,010 | $110,010 | $99,459 | 560 |
| Montana | $96,730 | $98,440 | $47.33 | $83,060 | $104,780 | $104,059 | 860 |
| Maine | $96,440 | $97,680 | $46.96 | $83,420 | $108,680 | $100,701 | 1,060 |
| Texas | $96,240 | $99,240 | $47.71 | $71,530 | $117,890 | $102,204 | 16,380 |
| Idaho | $95,500 | $94,650 | $45.51 | $85,610 | $103,340 | $99,110 | 2,060 |
| New Mexico | $94,890 | $95,940 | $46.12 | $82,180 | $105,440 | $104,056 | 1,420 |
| Wisconsin | $94,180 | $96,540 | $46.41 | $80,370 | $110,240 | $102,593 | 5,080 |
| Hawaii | $93,660 | $97,570 | $46.91 | $78,800 | $104,000 | $88,700 | 830 |
| North Carolina | $93,640 | $97,850 | $47.04 | $77,270 | $103,850 | $103,765 | 6,690 |
| Illinois | $91,820 | $96,670 | $46.48 | $74,280 | $118,410 | $96,670 | 8,970 |
| Georgia | $91,220 | $95,490 | $45.91 | $74,610 | $103,650 | $99,159 | 7,440 |
| Ohio | $89,900 | $88,990 | $42.78 | $76,260 | $102,950 | $95,894 | 8,630 |
| North Dakota | $89,750 | $90,530 | $43.53 | $82,890 | $98,530 | $101,719 | 660 |
| Indiana | $89,660 | $92,330 | $44.39 | $74,970 | $102,280 | $98,960 | 5,020 |
| South Dakota | $89,180 | $92,210 | $44.33 | $73,480 | $98,290 | $104,074 | 630 |
| Nebraska | $88,990 | $92,580 | $44.51 | $67,600 | $98,080 | $102,752 | 1,280 |
| Rhode Island | $88,660 | $86,910 | $41.78 | $83,800 | $100,520 | $84,956 | 770 |
| Missouri | $88,430 | $92,750 | $44.59 | $59,880 | $99,400 | $102,148 | 3,810 |
| Florida | $88,320 | $91,980 | $44.22 | $75,960 | $99,040 | $88,956 | 11,980 |
| Utah | $87,770 | $91,120 | $43.81 | $78,830 | $99,570 | $92,133 | 3,780 |
| Tennessee | $87,420 | $84,640 | $40.69 | $76,190 | $98,300 | $92,100 | 4,570 |
| Iowa | $86,640 | $84,010 | $40.39 | $78,320 | $95,810 | $95,683 | 2,440 |
| Michigan | $85,940 | $83,790 | $40.28 | $77,230 | $96,970 | $87,100 | 8,640 |
| Arkansas | $85,660 | $86,760 | $41.71 | $62,170 | $97,730 | $99,839 | 1,740 |
| South Carolina | $84,980 | $84,340 | $40.55 | $65,700 | $97,220 | $90,011 | 3,160 |
| Pennsylvania | $84,260 | $80,610 | $38.76 | $63,130 | $103,540 | $82,592 | 7,970 |
| Louisiana | $83,160 | $85,240 | $40.98 | $49,900 | $98,330 | $96,644 | 2,690 |
| Wyoming | $82,320 | $85,130 | $40.93 | $61,020 | $99,350 | $91,834 | 500 |
| Kentucky | $78,950 | $78,830 | $37.90 | $61,280 | $98,770 | $87,395 | 2,070 |
| West Virginia | $71,290 | $73,840 | $35.50 | $59,950 | $83,430 | $82,503 | 1,250 |
| Mississippi | $68,630 | $67,280 | $32.35 | $58,810 | $83,320 | $77,333 | 1,140 |
| Alabama | $60,850 | $61,160 | $29.41 | $48,960 | $72,410 | $68,874 | 3,170 |
| Kansas | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Highest median pay
- District of Columbia — $137,220
- Alaska — $132,690
- Washington — $131,160
- California — $124,930
- Oregon — $122,080
Lowest median pay
- Alabama — $61,160
- Mississippi — $67,280
- West Virginia — $73,840
- Kentucky — $78,830
- Pennsylvania — $80,610
Best pay after cost of living
- Alaska — $129,580
- District of Columbia — $124,859
- Washington — $122,579
- Oregon — $118,066
- Nevada — $115,290
The most dental hygienists work in California (24,500 jobs), Texas and New York.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make?
The national median wage for dental hygienists is $98,100 a year and the mean is $98,990, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays dental hygienists the most?
Washington has the highest mean wage for dental hygienists at $131,530, and District of Columbia has the highest median at $137,220.
Which state pays dental hygienists the least?
Alabama has the lowest mean wage for dental hygienists among states with published data, at $60,850.
Where do dental hygienists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, Alaska ranks first at $129,580 in national-average dollars, followed by District of Columbia and Washington.