How much do dental hygienists make in 2026?
Dental hygienists earn a national median of $98,100 a year ($47.16 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1292). The bottom 10% earn about $74,880 and the top 10% clear $126,050. Hygiene pay is unusual in that it is set almost entirely by hourly rate and scheduled days rather than by title: a new licensed RDH working four days a week starts near the $74,880 P10, a full-time hygienist with a settled patient base sits at the $98,100 median, and hygienists in periodontal or surgical practices with local-anesthesia and expanded-function permits run toward the $108,480 P75. Because the role is licensed state by state with no interstate compact, moving states means re-credentialing, not just renegotiating. → Full dental hygienist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $98,100 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Dental Hygienists earn a national median $98,100/yr ($47.16/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1292); the P10 to P90 range is $74,880 to $126,050.
- Hygiene pay is an hourly market: rate times scheduled days sets your income, so a four-day schedule at a strong rate can beat a five-day schedule at a weak one.
- Expanded-function and local-anesthesia permits are the cheapest lever available, and they are what separate a median schedule from a periodontal or surgical one near the $108,480 P75.
- BLS projects 7% employment growth through 2034 with roughly 15,300 openings a year, and hygiene remains one of the few clinical roles where part-time work carries a full professional rate.
US Dental Hygienist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do dental hygienists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1292; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1292, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a dental hygienist earn at each career stage?
Hygiene does not have a licence ladder above RDH, so the stages below track scheduled hours, practice type and permits rather than titles. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS percentile distribution for SOC 29-1292.
By State
Which states pay dental hygienists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates: the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, not BLS state observations. Hygiene rates track metropolitan cost of living closely, and because there is no interstate hygiene compact, a move also means a new state board application and often a new clinical exam.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($112,810), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
dental hygienist pay by state — all 37 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay dental hygienists the most?
Modeled metro estimates — the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local hourly-rate levels, not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a dental hygienist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does dental hygienist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Dental Hygienists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify dental hygienist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a dental hygienist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Dental Hygienist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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