Acupuncturists
Median $76,040
Occupation · SOC 29-1292
Dental Hygienists: pay and where the jobs are
What dental hygienists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$98,100 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $98,990
- Median hourly wage
- $47.16
- Mean hourly wage
- $47.59
- Employment
- 222,740
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1292.
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See where your pay falls among dental hygienists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do dental hygienists make?
The median annual wage for dental hygienists was $98,100 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $74,880 and the highest-paid 10% more than $126,050. As an hourly rate, the median is $47.16. About 222,740 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($137,220), Alaska ($132,690) and Washington ($131,160). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for dental hygienists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $74,880 | $36.00 | $6,240 | $5,126 |
| 25th percentile | $83,570 | $40.18 | $6,964 | $5,635 |
| Median | $98,100 | $47.16 | $8,175 | $6,487 |
| 75th percentile | $108,480 | $52.16 | $9,040 | $7,095 |
| 90th percentile | $126,050 | $60.60 | $10,504 | $8,118 |
Dental Hygienists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$99,345 take-home in national prices
2
$92,600 take-home in national prices
3
$89,955 take-home in national prices
Where a median dental hygienist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 320 | $137,220 | $86,120 | $155,840 | $96,361 | $87,680 |
| Alaska | 790 | $132,690 | $60,590 | $138,840 | $101,689 | $99,345 |
| Washington | 6,330 | $131,160 | $107,090 | $162,050 | $99,094 | $92,600 |
| California | 24,500 | $124,930 | $102,090 | $151,920 | $87,658 | $79,171 |
| Oregon | 3,600 | $122,080 | $104,530 | $134,120 | $84,632 | $81,880 |
| Nevada | 1,510 | $115,290 | $99,800 | $129,460 | $89,937 | $89,955 |
| Colorado | 4,270 | $109,580 | $95,680 | $128,900 | $81,324 | $78,916 |
| Maryland | 3,500 | $107,830 | $85,440 | $122,740 | $79,849 | $76,077 |
| New Jersey | 7,230 | $107,040 | $94,260 | $117,730 | $78,864 | $72,482 |
| New York | 13,660 | $106,130 | $77,680 | $126,640 | $77,828 | $72,116 |
| Minnesota | 4,110 | $103,970 | $82,110 | $120,270 | $75,969 | $77,031 |
| Virginia | 3,770 | $102,950 | $86,730 | $125,560 | $76,150 | $75,318 |
| New Hampshire | 1,360 | $101,250 | $86,400 | $122,980 | $80,059 | $76,858 |
| Arizona | 4,530 | $101,010 | $91,480 | $121,910 | $77,759 | $77,236 |
| Connecticut | 3,240 | $100,690 | $87,190 | $106,020 | $74,371 | $71,779 |
| Massachusetts | 6,850 | $100,640 | $93,510 | $117,380 | $74,355 | $70,308 |
| Texas | 16,380 | $99,240 | $71,530 | $117,890 | $78,645 | $81,030 |
| Delaware | 750 | $98,910 | $93,580 | $112,940 | $72,830 | $72,971 |
| Montana | 860 | $98,440 | $83,060 | $104,780 | $73,882 | $78,062 |
| North Carolina | 6,690 | $97,850 | $77,270 | $103,850 | $74,272 | $78,740 |
| Maine | 1,060 | $97,680 | $83,420 | $108,680 | $72,097 | $74,288 |
| Oklahoma | 2,860 | $97,580 | $81,290 | $119,760 | $73,632 | $83,822 |
| Hawaii | 830 | $97,570 | $78,800 | $104,000 | $71,469 | $65,001 |
| Vermont | 560 | $97,470 | $81,010 | $110,010 | $73,471 | $75,003 |
| Illinois | 8,970 | $96,670 | $74,280 | $118,410 | $72,197 | $72,227 |
| Wisconsin | 5,080 | $96,540 | $80,370 | $110,240 | $72,524 | $77,075 |
| New Mexico | 1,420 | $95,940 | $82,180 | $105,440 | $72,954 | $79,115 |
| Georgia | 7,440 | $95,490 | $74,610 | $103,650 | $71,991 | $74,762 |
| Idaho | 2,060 | $94,650 | $85,610 | $103,340 | $71,508 | $74,882 |
| Missouri | 3,810 | $92,750 | $59,880 | $99,400 | $70,658 | $77,802 |
| Nebraska | 1,280 | $92,580 | $67,600 | $98,080 | $70,627 | $78,385 |
| Indiana | 5,020 | $92,330 | $74,970 | $102,280 | $71,090 | $76,171 |
| South Dakota | 630 | $92,210 | $73,480 | $98,290 | $73,700 | $83,196 |
| Florida | 11,980 | $91,980 | $75,960 | $99,040 | $73,538 | $71,110 |
| Utah | 3,780 | $91,120 | $78,830 | $99,570 | $68,896 | $69,688 |
| North Dakota | 660 | $90,530 | $82,890 | $98,530 | $72,012 | $80,949 |
| Ohio | 8,630 | $88,990 | $76,260 | $102,950 | $69,424 | $74,831 |
| Rhode Island | 770 | $86,910 | $83,800 | $100,520 | $66,373 | $64,893 |
| Arkansas | 1,740 | $86,760 | $62,170 | $97,730 | $67,143 | $77,232 |
| Louisiana | 2,690 | $85,240 | $49,900 | $98,330 | $66,625 | $75,533 |
| Wyoming | 500 | $85,130 | $61,020 | $99,350 | $68,719 | $74,138 |
| Tennessee | 4,570 | $84,640 | $76,190 | $98,300 | $68,374 | $74,425 |
| South Carolina | 3,160 | $84,340 | $65,700 | $97,220 | $64,887 | $69,213 |
| Iowa | 2,440 | $84,010 | $78,320 | $95,810 | $65,390 | $74,509 |
| Michigan | 8,640 | $83,790 | $77,230 | $96,970 | $64,466 | $67,001 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,970 | $80,610 | $63,130 | $103,540 | $63,008 | $64,576 |
| Kentucky | 2,070 | $78,830 | $61,280 | $98,770 | $61,645 | $68,374 |
| West Virginia | 1,250 | $73,840 | $59,950 | $83,430 | $58,284 | $65,124 |
| Mississippi | 1,140 | $67,280 | $58,810 | $83,320 | $54,202 | $62,335 |
| Guam | 40 | $62,970 | $36,680 | $86,120 | — | — |
| Alabama | 3,170 | $61,160 | $48,960 | $72,410 | $48,762 | $54,898 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $59,320 | $32,170 | $79,330 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1292. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.