The median Dental Hygienist salary is $50.50 per hour, or $105,040 per year, based on 10,653 job postings across 102 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$50.50
Median hourly
$105,040
Annual salary
$42-$63
Pay range
102
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Dental Hygienist earns $50.50/hr, with most posted roles landing between $45.00 and $57.00/hr.
Recent posted pay is up, with the last 30 days showing +2% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: San Francisco, CALIFORNIA is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Birmingham, ALABAMA sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
+2%
Current median: $51.00/hr
Prior period: $50.00/hr
Job openings
+23.5%
3,109 recent postings
Previous period: 2,517 postings
Daily pay signal
$49.50/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Dental Hygienist postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is moving up even though posting volume changed. Recent listings are showing a median of $51.00/hr, up from $50.00/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$41.50
$86,320/yr
Median
$50.50
$105,040/yr
Top earners
$63.00
$131,040/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $51.00/hr | 2,951 |
Mar 2026 | $50.00/hr | 2,675 |
Feb 2026 | $52.50/hr | 651 |
Jan 2026 | $50.00/hr | 1,786 |
Dec 2025 | $50.00/hr | 1,940 |
Nov 2025 | $52.50/hr | 650 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
52 postings · 25 companies
$32.50
$30-$36
14 postings · 8 companies
$67.00
$65-$69
221 postings · 83 companies
$50.00
$49-$53
33 postings · 14 companies
$46.00
$42-$48
724 postings · 434 companies
$60.00
$58-$68
262 postings · 125 companies
$60.00
$57-$63
116 postings · 82 companies
$52.00
$48-$55
11 postings · 10 companies
$47.50
$47-$53
10 postings · 8 companies
$68.00
$63-$71
441 postings · 159 companies
$42.00
$41-$43
151 postings · 54 companies
$45.50
$45-$50
17 postings · 16 companies
$49.50
$48-$50
65 postings · 42 companies
$47.50
$46-$52
478 postings · 184 companies
$51.75
$48-$55
169 postings · 59 companies
$49.50
$45-$50
60 postings · 29 companies
$43.50
$40-$44
51 postings · 32 companies
$46.00
$43-$50
92 postings · 38 companies
$41.00
$40-$48
41 postings · 20 companies
$45.00
$41-$50
22 postings · 14 companies
$51.75
$48-$54
202 postings · 113 companies
$60.00
$57-$65
345 postings · 182 companies
$53.50
$51-$58
319 postings · 189 companies
$45.00
$42-$49
233 postings · 89 companies
$55.50
$53-$58
24 postings · 8 companies
$42.50
$37-$43
248 postings · 90 companies
$48.00
$48-$51
18 postings · 15 companies
$48.75
$46-$50
57 postings · 28 companies
$47.00
$45-$47
106 postings · 45 companies
$57.25
$53-$63
50 postings · 30 companies
$49.00
$49-$52
383 postings · 192 companies
$52.50
$52-$56
38 postings · 22 companies
$47.50
$44-$50
589 postings · 288 companies
$50.50
$46-$58
363 postings · 143 companies
$50.00
$48-$53
12 postings · 10 companies
$41.00
$40-$42
381 postings · 174 companies
$47.00
$44-$51
75 postings · 31 companies
$48.00
$48-$50
172 postings · 78 companies
$57.50
$54-$62
354 postings · 186 companies
$47.50
$42-$52
36 postings · 18 companies
$47.50
$47-$49
188 postings · 66 companies
$45.00
$41-$50
25 postings · 10 companies
$45.00
$45-$54
130 postings · 72 companies
$43.00
$42-$46
523 postings · 237 companies
$47.50
$45-$52
88 postings · 49 companies
$44.50
$43-$48
12 postings · 10 companies
$52.50
$49-$56
377 postings · 142 companies
$55.00
$54-$63
292 postings · 157 companies
$67.50
$61-$73
33 postings · 18 companies
$36.00
$34-$40
227 postings · 87 companies
$49.00
$46-$52
15 postings · 9 companies
$45.00
$39-$53
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Dental Hygienist salaries.
San Francisco
California · 25 postings
$77.50/hr
Seattle
Washington · 45 postings
$72.50/hr
San Jose
California · 13 postings
$70.00/hr
Leesburg
Virginia · 10 postings
$68.50/hr
Washington
District Of Columbia · 10 postings
$68.00/hr
Birmingham
Alabama · 10 postings
$30.00/hr
Buffalo
New York · 13 postings
$38.50/hr
Lexington
Kentucky · 16 postings
$39.75/hr
El Paso
Texas · 11 postings
$40.00/hr
Port Saint Lucie
Florida · 11 postings
$40.50/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Dental Hygienist positions.
Park Dental
45 postings
$74.00/hr
Dental Care Seattle
5 postings
$71.50/hr
Kensington Natural Smiles
7 postings
$70.00/hr
Custom Dental
5 postings
$70.00/hr
East Avenue Dental
6 postings
$68.75/hr
Pima Medical Institute
5 postings
$34.50/hr
Career Links
5 postings
$37.50/hr
Rochester Regional Health
10 postings
$38.00/hr
Pepperpointe Partnerships
14 postings
$40.75/hr
Keep Mi Smile
5 postings
$42.50/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Hygienist | 4,916 | $50.00/hr |
| Registered Dental Hygienist | 2,388 | $52.00/hr |
| Dental Hygienist (rdh) | 910 | $50.00/hr |
| Dental Hygienist (rdh) - Float | 137 | $48.50/hr |
| Registered Dental Hygienist (rdh) | 133 | $52.50/hr |
| Dental Hygienist (part-time) | 90 | $52.00/hr |
| Part-time Dental Hygienist | 63 | $48.50/hr |
| Part Time Dental Hygienist | 51 | $50.00/hr |
| Dental Hygienist (rdh) Float | 40 | $52.50/hr |
| Pediatric Dental Hygienist | 32 | $46.75/hr |
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Dental Hygienist salaries.
FAQ
The median Dental Hygienist salary is $50.50 per hour, or $105,040 annually. Pay ranges from $41.50/hr (10th percentile) to $63.00/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 10,653 job postings, the highest paying states for Dental Hygienists include District Of Columbia, Washington, Alaska. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 10,653 Dental Hygienist job postings across 102 states, from 4406 different healthcare employers.
Dental Hygienist pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Dental Hygienist pay is currently trending upward. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates increased 2%.
Dental Hygienist pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $6.50 to $12.50 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like San Francisco offer $77.50/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $30.00/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Dental Hygienists typically earn around $41.50 to $45.00 per hour ($86,320 to $93,600 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $50.50/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 10,653 active postings with listed compensation for Dental Hygienist. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
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