Dental Hygienist salary: $50.50/hr$2,020/wk$105,040/yr median.
Pay range $45.00$1,800$93,600–$57.00/hr$2,280/wk$118,560/yr across the middle 50% of active Clinical Support Dental postings nationwide.
4,406 unique employers · 2,633 cities · 102 states. Pay moved +2.0% over the last 30 days.
How Dental Hygienist pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $41.50/hr$1,660/wk$86,320/yr. The top 10% pay above $63.00/hr$2,520/wk$131,040/yr.
How Dental Hygienist pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $52.50 in Nov 2025 to $51.00 in Apr 2026 (-2.9%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $52.50$2,100$109,200 | $47.50$1,900$98,800–$59.50$2,380$123,760 | 650 |
| Dec 2025 | $50.00$2,000$104,000 | $45.00$1,800$93,600–$56.50$2,260$117,520 | 1,940 |
| Jan 2026 | $50.00$2,000$104,000 | $45.00$1,800$93,600–$56.50$2,260$117,520 | 1,786 |
| Feb 2026 | $52.50$2,100$109,200 | $47.50$1,900$98,800–$57.50$2,300$119,600 | 651 |
| Mar 2026 | $50.00$2,000$104,000 | $45.00$1,800$93,600–$55.50$2,220$115,440 | 2,675 |
| Apr 2026 | $51.00$2,040$106,080 | $45.00$1,800$93,600–$57.00$2,280$118,560 | 2,951 |
Dental Hygienist pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 51 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Dental Hygienist paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| san francisco | CA · CALIFORNIA | $77.50$3,100$161,200 | $70.00$2,800$145,600–$85.00$3,400$176,800 | 25 |
| seattle | WA · WASHINGTON | $72.50$2,900$150,800 | $71.00$2,840$147,680–$75.00$3,000$156,000 | 45 |
| san jose | CA · CALIFORNIA | $70.00$2,800$145,600 | $62.50$2,500$130,000–$72.50$2,900$150,800 | 13 |
| leesburg | VA · VIRGINIA | $68.50$2,740$142,480 | $63.13$2,525$131,310–$69.25$2,770$144,040 | 10 |
| washington | DC · DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | $68.00$2,720$141,440 | $62.63$2,505$130,270–$70.75$2,830$147,160 | 10 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Dental Hygienist.
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Dental | $70.00$2,800$145,600 | $50.00$2,000$104,000–$80.00$3,200$166,400 | 5 |
| D4C Dental Brands | $66.50$2,660$138,320 | $61.00$2,440$126,880–$66.50$2,660$138,320 | 10 |
| Dental Care Seattle | $71.50$2,860$148,720 | $71.50$2,860$148,720–$71.50$2,860$148,720 | 5 |
| East Avenue Dental | $68.75$2,750$143,000 | $67.50$2,700$140,400–$70.50$2,820$146,640 | 6 |
| Espire Dental | $67.50$2,700$140,400 | $55.00$2,200$114,400–$72.50$2,900$150,800 | 12 |
| Hero Practice Services | $67.75$2,710$140,920 | $67.50$2,700$140,400–$70.00$2,800$145,600 | 6 |
| Itani Dental | $67.50$2,700$140,400 | $67.50$2,700$140,400–$70.00$2,800$145,600 | 6 |
| Kensington Natural Smiles | $70.00$2,800$145,600 | $67.50$2,700$140,400–$70.00$2,800$145,600 | 7 |
| Park Dental | $74.00$2,960$153,920 | $50.00$2,000$104,000–$74.00$2,960$153,920 | 45 |
| Zak Dental Corp | $68.50$2,740$142,480 | $68.50$2,740$142,480–$68.50$2,740$142,480 | 12 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Dental Hygienist pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Travel Contract pays the most at $78.05/hr$3,122/wk$162,344/yr median — 64% above Per Diem at $47.50/hr$1,900/wk$98,800/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 6,996 active postings.
How to become a Dental Hygienist.
Clinical support roles assist physicians, nurses, and licensed clinicians with the technical and procedural workflow of patient care — without the broader scope of a licensed clinician. The category covers medical assistants, medical scribes, lab assistants, EKG techs, phlebotomists, sterile-processing technicians, and surgical services support. These are short-training entry points into healthcare with strong onward mobility into nursing, lab science, surgical tech, and other clinical careers.
Most clinical support roles can be entered within 3-18 months. Pick the role, complete the certificate program (or qualify by on-the-job training in some states), and sit for the national credential exam (NHA, AMT, ASCP, NBSTSA, HSPA). Many people use a year or two in a support role to qualify for nursing or allied health school admissions.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant programMA Cert / AAS | 9 months - 2 years | Certificate or associate's program. Covers clinical skills (vitals, injections, EKG, phlebotomy) plus front-office workflow. Eligible for CCMA or CMA after graduation. |
| Medical Scribe trainingScribe Cert | 1-3 months | Short certificate covering medical terminology, EHR navigation, and chart documentation. Many programs are employer-funded and on-the-job. |
| Phlebotomy / EKG certificateCPT / CET Cert | 4-12 weeks | Short certificate followed by an exam (NHA, ASCP, AMT). Sufficient to work as a phlebotomist or EKG tech in most states. |
| Sterile Processing programSPD Cert | 4-6 months | Certificate program covering instrument decontamination, sterilization, and inventory. Required by most surgical hospitals (CRCST or CBSPD). |
Clinical support roles are credentialed (CCMA, CMA, CPT, etc.) rather than state-licensed. A handful of states require registration for medical assistants performing certain skills.
Required for nearly all clinical support roles in hospital, clinic, and surgical settings.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CCMA / CMA / RMA Certified or Registered Medical Assistant Standard medical-assistant credentials. CCMA (NHA), CMA (AAMA), and RMA (AMT) are widely accepted; CMA carries the strongest reputation in many regional markets. | NHA / AAMA / AMT | +5-15% |
| CPT Certified Phlebotomy Technician Required by most hospital phlebotomy positions. California also has a state-specific CPT-1 license. | NHA / ASCP / AMT | +5-10% |
| CCT / CET Certified Cardiographic / EKG Technician Required for cardiac monitor, stress-test, and EKG technician positions. | CCI / NHA | +5-10% |
| CRCST / CBSPD Certified Registered Central Service Technician / Certified Sterile Processing & Distribution Technician Sterile processing credentials. Required in most states for SPD techs working in surgical hospitals. | HSPA / CBSPD | +5-10% |
- 0-2 yearsMedical Assistant / Lab Assistant / Phlebotomy Tech
Entry-level clinical support. Many use this stage to confirm interest before pursuing nursing or allied health school.
- 1-4 yearsSpecialty MA / Scribe / EKG Tech
Specialty-focused support (cardiology MA, ortho MA, scribing for high-volume specialists, EKG/stress testing).
- 3-7 yearsLead MA / Senior tech
Trains new hires, manages clinical inventory, and supports clinic operations. Often the practice's clinical operations linchpin.
- 5-10 yearsClinic supervisor / SPD coordinator
Operational oversight of clinical support staff, sterile processing, or front-clinical workflow.
- Path-dependentTransition to licensed clinical role
The most common 'level 5' for clinical support staff is school: nursing, surgical tech, respiratory therapy, sonography, or lab science. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement to fund the move.
Schedule. Clinic-based MA, scribe, and phlebotomy roles run business hours. Hospital phlebotomy and EKG techs include evening and weekend coverage. SPD techs typically work shifts aligned with surgical schedules including evenings.
Physical demands. Long stretches on your feet. Frequent patient contact (assisting with positioning, holding limbs for procedures). SPD adds repetitive instrument handling and exposure to chemicals and steam.
Medical assistants are projected to be among the fastest-growing healthcare occupations. Phlebotomy, sterile processing, and EKG technician demand all run well above the average. Outpatient expansion, retail-clinic growth, and lab service consolidation all keep openings well above supply.
What clinicians ask about Dental Hygienist pay.
What is the average Dental Hygienist salary in 2026?
The median Dental Hygienist salary is $50.50/hr (approximately $105,040/yr) based on 10,653 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Dental Hygienist?
Hourly pay ranges from $45.00 at the 25th percentile to $57.00 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $63.00/hr.
Which state pays Dental Hygienist roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $32.50/hr across 52 postings.
How many employers are hiring Dental Hygienists?
Our dataset shows 4,406 unique employers posting Dental Hygienist roles across 102 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Dental Hygienist salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Dental tracks.
Dental Hygienist sits inside the Clinical Support track. Here are sibling tracks across Dental — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.