In terms of health-related professions, there is an increasing number of people that want to become dental hygienist because it offers an interesting career with satisfaction and a healthy career outlook. The forecast for dental hygienist job hiring is expected to increase several times faster than the rest of the other occupations in any field. Factors for the growing demand include population growth, dental care awareness, and demand from the older population. Also, the increase in the number of patients for dentists will require them to hire more dental hygienists to handle the more mundane duties so that they can devote more time for the more complicated procedures such as pulling wisdom teeth. Job opportunities are great for entry-level candidates as well as the more experienced ones. If you are truly interested in learning more about this profession, it is vital to know about a dental hygienist’s salary. The national average annual salary for dental hygienist is $68,680 and the average dental hygienist salary per hour is $33.02. Keep in mind that these are only estimates. Dental hygienist pay is determined by a variety of factors including industry, work location, job experience, and level of education.
Dental Hygienist Salary by Industry
The type of dental industry that one works for will have affect your pay. Dental offices around the nation on average pays the best followed by outpatient care centers. Meanwhile, working in general hospitals offers the lowest salaries in our survey.
- Dental Offices – Average Annual Salary $68,980 | Average Hourly Salary $33.16
- Physicians Offices – Average Annual Salary $63,190 | Average Hourly Salary $30.38
- Employment Services – Average Annual Salary $65,690 | Average Hourly Salary $31.58
- Outpatient Care Centers – Average Annual Salary $68,390 | Average Hourly Salary $32.88
- General Hospitals – Average Annual Salary $56,950 | Average Hourly Salary $27.38
Dental Hygienist Income by Location
The job place plays an important role in calculating dental hygienist wages. The top paying states are mostly located within dense population such as California, Washington, District of Columbia, and Nevada. In general, the more people there are in an area, the more demand for this occupation. However, there are some areas with labor shortages such as Alaska that offers good salaries even with a smaller population.
Salary of Dental Hygienist by Education
After completing prerequisite courses in math, biology, and chemistry, dental hygienists are required to go through a special dental hygienist program. Students can pursue a certificate program, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree. Before working in the profession, graduates must become licensed in the state that they practice in. The more education gained means the higher the skill level and thus higher pay.
Salary of a Dental Hygienist with Work Experience
Gaining more job experience is always worthwhile. Dental hygienists with good work experience need less training than someone without with all things being equal. For those with an excellent work history, your skills are always in demand even in more competitive areas. Your salary will also be in the higher end of the spectrum as well.
Dental Hygienist Salary by State
- Dental Assistant Salary in Alabama, AL $43,360
- Dental Assistant Salary in Alaska, AK $90,740
- Dental Assistant Salary in Arizona, AZ $76,400
- Dental Assistant Salary in Arkansas, AR $60,850
- Dental Assistant Salary in California, CA $90,220
- Dental Assistant Salary in Colorado, CO $73,390
- Dental Assistant Salary in Connecticut, CT $82,390
- Dental Assistant Salary in Delaware, DE $71,260
- Dental Assistant Salary in District of Columbia, DC $86,320
- Dental Assistant Salary in Florida, FL $58,340
- Dental Assistant Salary in Georgia, GA $65,570
- Dental Assistant Salary in Hawaii, HI $64,400
- Dental Assistant Salary in Idaho, ID $66,270
- Dental Assistant Salary in Illinois, IL $61,110
- Dental Assistant Salary in Indiana, IN $62,750
- Dental Assistant Salary in Iowa, IA $63,880
- Dental Assistant Salary in Kansas, KS $64,310
- Dental Assistant Salary in Kentucky, KY $56,050
- Dental Assistant Salary in Louisiana, LA $58,470
- Dental Assistant Salary in Maine, ME $67,660
- Dental Assistant Salary in Maryland, MD $71,150
- Dental Assistant Salary in Massachusetts, MA $77,620
- Dental Assistant Salary in Michigan, MI $59,200
- Dental Assistant Salary in Minnesota, MN $70,560
- Dental Assistant Salary in Mississippi, MS $50,100
- Dental Assistant Salary in Missouri, MO $65,400
- Dental Assistant Salary in Montana, MT $64,650
- Dental Assistant Salary in Nebraska, NE $64,440
- Dental Assistant Salary in Nevada, NV $83,930
- Dental Assistant Salary in New Hampshire, NH $74,020
- Dental Assistant Salary in New Jersey, NJ $78,450
- Dental Assistant Salary in New Mexico, NM $75,190
- Dental Assistant Salary in New York, NY $68,600
- Dental Assistant Salary in North Carolina, NC $61,940
- Dental Assistant Salary in North Dakota, ND $56,070
- Dental Assistant Salary in Ohio, OH $61,350
- Dental Assistant Salary in Oklahoma, OK $62,470
- Dental Assistant Salary in Oregon, OR $77,070
- Dental Assistant Salary in Pennsylvania, PA $58,230
- Dental Assistant Salary in Puerto Rico, PR $31,400
- Dental Assistant Salary in Rhode Island, RI $68,240
- Dental Assistant Salary in South Carolina, SC $54,940
- Dental Assistant Salary in South Dakota, SD $57,270
- Dental Assistant Salary in Tennessee, TN $61,560
- Dental Assistant Salary in Texas, TX $67,530
- Dental Assistant Salary in Utah, UT $65,640
- Dental Assistant Salary in Vermont, VT $65,250
- Dental Assistant Salary in Virginia, VA $81,150
- Dental Assistant Salary in Washington, WA $87,810
- Dental Assistant Salary in West Virginia, WV $48,990
- Dental Assistant Salary in Wisconsin, WI $61,120
- Dental Assistant Salary in Wyoming, WY $64,240
How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make an Hour
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Alabama, AL $20.85
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Alaska, AK $43.62
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Arizona, AZ $36.73
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Arkansas, AR $29.26
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in California, CA $43.37
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Colorado, CO $35.28
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Connecticut, CT $39.61
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Delaware, DE $34.26
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in District of Columbia, DC $41.50
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Florida, FL $28.05
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Georgia, GA $31.52
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Hawaii, HI $30.96
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Idaho, ID $31.86
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Illinois, IL $29.38
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Indiana, IN $30.17
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Iowa, IA $30.71
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Kansas, KS $30.92
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Kentucky, KY $26.95
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Louisiana, LA $28.11
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Maine, ME $32.53
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Maryland, MD $34.21
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Massachusetts, MA $37.32
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Michigan, MI $28.46
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Minnesota, MN $33.93
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Mississippi, MS $24.09
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Missouri, MO $31.44
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Montana, MT $31.08
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Nebraska, NE $30.98
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Nevada, NV $40.35
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in New Hampshire, NH $35.59
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in New Jersey, NJ $37.72
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in New Mexico, NM $36.15
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in New York, NY $32.98
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in North Carolina, NC $29.78
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in North Dakota, ND $26.96
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Ohio, OH $29.49
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Oklahoma, OK $30.03
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Oregon, OR $37.05
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Pennsylvania, PA $28.00
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Puerto Rico, PR $15.09
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Rhode Island, RI $32.81
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in South Carolina, SC $26.41
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in South Dakota, SD $27.54
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Tennessee, TN $29.60
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Texas, TX $32.47
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Utah, UT $31.56
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Vermont, VT $31.37
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Virginia, VA $39.01
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Washington, WA $42.22
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in West Virginia, WV $23.55
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Wisconsin, WI $29.39
- Average Dental Hygienist Hourly Salary in Wyoming, WY $30.88
Additional Resource to Find Data on Dental Hygienist Salary – http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292021.htm