United States Dental Hygienist Salary by State and City
Dental Hygienist Salary Overview 2026
Dental hygienist salaries vary significantly depending on where you practice. Across 507 major U.S. cities, the average hourly pay is $41.35/hr, roughly $86,008 per year based on a full-time schedule. Hourly rates range from $16.91 in lower-cost-of-living areas to $92.76 in high-demand metropolitan markets.
Whether you're a new graduate exploring relocation options or an experienced hygienist looking to maximize earnings, the city-by-city breakdown below will help you compare dental hygienist pay across every region of the country.
Earn More With GoTuAlaska nonmetropolitan area, AK
$65.76
Anchorage, AK
$46.42
Fairbanks-College, AK
$46.15
Anniston-Oxford, AL
$25.31
Auburn-Opelika, AL
$26.65
Birmingham, AL
$27.93
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
$26.86
Decatur, AL
$28.75
Dothan, AL
$33.04
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
$24.04
Gadsden, AL
$25.26
Huntsville, AL
$29.07
Montgomery, AL
$25.99
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area, AL
$26.08
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area, AL
$27.92
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area, AL
$25.05
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area, AL
$24.90
Tuscaloosa, AL
$26.79
East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area, AR
$36.70
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
$42.02
Fort Smith, AR
$37.16
Hot Springs, AR
$38.01
Jonesboro, AR
$38.21
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
$35.33
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area, AR
$39.26
South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area, AR
$38.12
West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area, AR
$36.93
Arizona nonmetropolitan area, AZ
$42.62
Flagstaff, AZ
$41.45
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ
$44.44
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$48.04
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ
$43.42
Tucson, AZ
$42.84
Yuma, AZ
$42.62
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$44.64
Chico, CA
$48.23
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area, CA
$48.21
El Centro, CA
$51.89
Fresno, CA
$56.50
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$52.07
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$40.79
Modesto, CA
$56.35
Napa, CA
$61.18
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area, CA
$50.26
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area, CA
$57.36
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
$49.85
Redding, CA
$48.07
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$56.03
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$55.60
Salinas, CA
$53.51
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
$56.92
San Francisco, CA
$72.23
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$70.31
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$61.53
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
$60.66
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
$66.25
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
$63.37
Stockton-Lodi, CA
$56.96
Vallejo, CA
$61.87
Visalia, CA
$53.09
Yuba City, CA
$54.77
Boulder, CO
$51.85
Colorado Springs, CO
$48.91
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$45.48
Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area, CO
$48.04
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
$50.18
Grand Junction, CO
$48.09
Greeley, CO
$41.26
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area, CO
$54.11
Pueblo, CO
$46.52
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area, CO
$48.79
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT
$50.89
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area, CT
$44.81
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
$45.80
New Haven, CT
$43.08
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT
$43.60
Waterbury-Shelton, CT
$45.90
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC
$54.12
Dover, DE
$49.46
Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area, DE
$49.10
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
$34.96
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
$38.45
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
$38.58
Gainesville, FL
$38.70
Homosassa Springs, FL
$38.55
Jacksonville, FL
$36.51
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
$33.78
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$41.55
Naples-Marco Island, FL
$47.14
North Florida nonmetropolitan area, FL
$36.44
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
$42.91
Ocala, FL
$38.34
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$37.26
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
$40.14
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL
$37.80
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL
$37.96
Port St. Lucie, FL
$36.55
Punta Gorda, FL
$41.74
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL
$40.89
South Florida nonmetropolitan area, FL
$40.94
Tallahassee, FL
$37.77
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$42.06
Wildwood-The Villages, FL
$38.80
Albany, GA
$36.52
Athens-Clarke County, GA
$37.05
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$44.11
Augusta-Richmond County, GA
$37.35
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
$36.87
Columbus, GA
$33.93
Dalton, GA
$38.49
East Georgia nonmetropolitan area, GA
$34.71
Gainesville, GA
$38.28
Hinesville, GA
$35.86
Macon-Bibb County, GA
$36.51
Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area, GA
$39.42
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area, GA
$43.80
Rome, GA
$36.49
Savannah, GA
$37.93
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area, GA
$31.03
Valdosta, GA
$33.37
Warner Robins, GA
$37.41
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area, HI
$44.90
Kahului-Wailuku, HI
$50.30
Urban Honolulu, HI
$43.65
Ames, IA
$40.14
Cedar Rapids, IA
$40.72
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA
$39.34
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$42.35
Dubuque, IA
$40.51
Iowa City, IA
$41.66
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area, IA
$40.84
Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area, IA
$41.74
Sioux City, IA
$40.60
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area, IA
$40.27
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area, IA
$43.40
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
$39.87
Boise City, ID
$42.90
Coeur d'Alene, ID
$44.53
Idaho Falls, ID
$43.10
Lewiston, ID
$45.42
Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area, ID
$43.72
Pocatello, ID
$42.98
Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area, ID
$45.67
Twin Falls, ID
$43.21
Bloomington, IL
$38.06
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$39.48
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL
$39.06
Decatur, IL
$37.95
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area, IL
$37.56
Kankakee, IL
$30.43
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area, IL
$39.73
Peoria, IL
$37.89
Rockford, IL
$41.36
South Illinois nonmetropolitan area, IL
$33.69
Springfield, IL
$37.85
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area, IL
$35.90
Bloomington, IN
$36.01
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area, IN
$42.08
Columbus, IN
$35.21
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
$44.30
Evansville, IN
$40.70
Fort Wayne, IN
$39.89
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
$38.14
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
$39.36
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
$35.64
Muncie, IN
$41.24
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area, IN
$41.38
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN
$38.50
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area, IN
$38.74
Terre Haute, IN
$39.25
Kansas nonmetropolitan area, KS
$36.51
Lawrence, KS
$38.69
Manhattan, KS
$35.17
Topeka, KS
$38.07
Wichita, KS
$34.59
Bowling Green, KY
$36.89
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, KY
$30.62
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, KY
$30.22
Elizabethtown, KY
$34.81
Lexington-Fayette, KY
$36.96
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY
$39.49
Owensboro, KY
$36.10
Paducah, KY
$36.71
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, KY
$31.19
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area, KY
$33.47
Alexandria, LA
$32.89
Baton Rouge, LA
$36.30
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area, LA
$32.86
Hammond, LA
$33.72
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA
$33.77
Lafayette, LA
$33.17
Lake Charles, LA
$33.93
Monroe, LA
$32.79
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
$34.98
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area, LA
$32.63
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
$33.56
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA
$33.79
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area, LA
$32.61
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$44.27
Barnstable Town, MA
$45.54
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA
$50.78
Pittsfield, MA
$44.03
Springfield, MA
$43.88
Worcester, MA
$47.89
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
$53.66
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD
$39.38
Lexington Park, MD
$48.10
Maryland nonmetropolitan area, MD
$42.65
Salisbury, MD
$43.68
Bangor, ME
$43.03
Lewiston-Auburn, ME
$43.63
Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area, ME
$42.60
Portland-South Portland, ME
$43.27
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area, ME
$43.11
Ann Arbor, MI
$41.02
Battle Creek, MI
$39.28
Bay City, MI
$37.44
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$40.60
Flint, MI
$39.45
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
$41.12
Jackson, MI
$36.32
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
$37.95
Lansing-East Lansing, MI
$38.15
Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area, MI
$30.82
Midland, MI
$41.17
Monroe, MI
$39.47
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI
$39.92
Niles, MI
$39.37
Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area, MI
$34.29
Saginaw, MI
$37.36
Southern Michigan nonmetropolitan area, MI
$42.40
Traverse City, MI
$41.36
Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area, MI
$38.35
Duluth, MN
$39.90
Mankato, MN
$42.31
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN
$46.74
Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area, MN
$40.08
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area, MN
$43.36
Rochester, MN
$43.52
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area, MN
$42.91
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area, MN
$42.81
St. Cloud, MN
$43.46
Cape Girardeau, MO
$40.12
Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area, MO
$41.72
Columbia, MO
$42.20
Jefferson City, MO
$41.25
Joplin, MO
$41.49
Kansas City, MO
$42.07
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area, MO
$42.02
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area, MO
$38.61
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area, MO
$41.32
Springfield, MO
$41.98
St. Joseph, MO
$42.34
St. Louis, MO
$43.75
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
$32.70
Hattiesburg, MS
$32.09
Jackson, MS
$34.65
Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area, MS
$29.79
Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area, MS
$28.85
Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area, MS
$28.90
West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area, MS
$26.12
Billings, MT
$43.29
Bozeman, MT
$44.94
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area, MT
$44.71
Great Falls, MT
$40.87
Helena, MT
$42.30
Missoula, MT
$42.60
West Montana nonmetropolitan area, MT
$43.01
Asheville, NC
$42.67
Burlington, NC
$41.17
Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, NC
$41.83
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC
$44.08
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
$43.20
Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, NC
$41.54
Fayetteville, NC
$37.01
Goldsboro, NC
$38.22
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$33.85
Greenville, NC
$37.58
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
$41.77
Jacksonville, NC
$39.53
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
$41.22
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$42.93
Rocky Mount, NC
$35.85
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area, NC
$41.78
Wilmington, NC
$43.26
Winston-Salem, NC
$42.39
Bismarck, ND
$42.18
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area, ND
$42.62
Fargo, ND
$40.16
Grand Forks, ND
$41.43
Minot, ND
$40.79
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area, ND
$42.53
Grand Island, NE
$42.43
Lincoln, NE
$38.54
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area, NE
$41.68
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area, NE
$41.49
Omaha, NE
$37.05
South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area, NE
$36.61
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area, NH
$44.24
Manchester-Nashua, NH
$44.34
Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area, NH
$48.02
Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area, NH
$43.31
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
$44.74
Trenton-Princeton, NJ
$48.41
Vineland, NJ
$43.60
Albuquerque, NM
$44.44
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area, NM
$48.35
Farmington, NM
$42.68
Las Cruces, NM
$42.12
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area, NM
$44.24
Santa Fe, NM
$49.16
Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area, NV
$55.03
Carson City, NV
$53.56
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
$41.81
Reno, NV
$51.24
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
$43.07
Binghamton, NY
$38.18
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
$35.92
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area, NY
$43.30
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area, NY
$39.38
Elmira, NY
$34.01
Glens Falls, NY
$39.58
Ithaca, NY
$39.67
Kingston, NY
$37.60
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY
$42.89
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY
$47.72
Rochester, NY
$40.84
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area, NY
$36.48
Syracuse, NY
$39.45
Utica-Rome, NY
$40.13
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
$38.63
Akron, OH
$34.85
Canton-Massillon, OH
$37.89
Cincinnati, OH
$48.35
Cleveland, OH
$40.36
Columbus, OH
$41.92
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
$40.20
Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area, OH
$35.27
Lima, OH
$36.16
Mansfield, OH
$36.31
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous), OH
$35.43
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area, OH
$36.15
Springfield, OH
$39.35
Toledo, OH
$37.80
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area, OH
$36.65
Youngstown-Warren, OH
$36.30
Enid, OK
$45.57
Lawton, OK
$38.33
Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, OK
$44.85
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, OK
$31.49
Oklahoma City, OK
$47.47
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, OK
$39.03
Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, OK
$38.96
Tulsa, OK
$47.09
Albany, OR
$55.57
Bend, OR
$56.33
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area, OR
$49.64
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area, OR
$50.21
Corvallis, OR
$52.93
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area, OR
$49.87
Eugene-Springfield, OR
$54.41
Grants Pass, OR
$56.32
Medford, OR
$55.12
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR
$55.60
Salem, OR
$56.08
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA
$32.47
Altoona, PA
$35.36
Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area, PA
$33.92
Chambersburg, PA
$38.53
Erie, PA
$34.21
Gettysburg, PA
$38.11
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
$38.33
Lancaster, PA
$38.94
Lebanon, PA
$38.53
Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area, PA
$35.17
Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area, PA
$34.30
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA
$44.94
Pittsburgh, PA
$34.78
Reading, PA
$41.58
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
$29.67
Southwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area, PA
$30.39
State College, PA
$36.56
Williamsport, PA
$34.95
York-Hanover, PA
$38.57
Providence-Warwick, RI
$42.87
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
$41.69
Columbia, SC
$37.71
Florence, SC
$35.93
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
$40.87
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC
$37.32
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC
$34.55
Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area, SC
$33.44
Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area, SC
$34.57
Spartanburg, SC
$38.10
Sumter, SC
$35.78
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area, SD
$41.53
Rapid City, SD
$38.38
Sioux Falls, SD
$38.81
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area, SD
$38.22
Chattanooga, TN
$39.23
Clarksville, TN
$38.01
Cleveland, TN
$37.86
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area, TN
$38.40
Jackson, TN
$37.40
Johnson City, TN
$36.66
Kingsport-Bristol, TN
$39.41
Knoxville, TN
$40.58
Memphis, TN
$43.19
Morristown, TN
$37.21
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$41.41
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area, TN
$37.56
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area, TN
$39.12
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area, TN
$37.94
Abilene, TX
$41.27
Amarillo, TX
$38.32
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$45.14
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
$40.27
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
$36.39
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, TX
$42.43
College Station-Bryan, TX
$38.82
Corpus Christi, TX
$42.68
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$37.37
Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, TX
$43.73
El Paso, TX
$39.87
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, TX
$46.52
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$47.39
Killeen-Temple, TX
$42.61
Laredo, TX
$37.99
Longview, TX
$41.20
Lubbock, TX
$40.73
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
$35.52
North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, TX
$39.89
Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, TX
$48.59
San Angelo, TX
$40.58
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$44.33
Sherman-Denison, TX
$41.58
Texarkana, TX
$37.13
Tyler, TX
$41.54
Victoria, TX
$41.20
Waco, TX
$40.39
Wichita Falls, TX
$37.83
High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area, UT
$33.09
Logan, UT
$37.18
Ogden, UT
$42.04
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
$42.37
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
$42.73
St. George, UT
$40.41
Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area, UT
$40.18
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
$37.57
Charlottesville, VA
$47.69
Harrisonburg, VA
$45.47
Lynchburg, VA
$42.83
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area, VA
$38.37
Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area, VA
$41.82
Richmond, VA
$45.15
Roanoke, VA
$40.60
Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area, VA
$47.93
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area, VA
$41.82
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
$47.98
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA
$45.38
Winchester, VA
$45.79
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
$47.51
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area, VT
$50.95
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area, VT
$43.64
Bellingham, WA
$59.61
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA
$56.39
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area, WA
$58.98
Kennewick-Richland, WA
$54.20
Longview-Kelso, WA
$56.93
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
$59.49
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
$54.69
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$68.10
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
$52.62
Walla Walla, WA
$52.99
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA
$53.20
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area, WA
$58.92
Yakima, WA
$56.25
Appleton, WI
$41.90
Eau Claire, WI
$41.58
Fond du Lac, WI
$42.00
Green Bay, WI
$42.23
Janesville-Beloit, WI
$39.31
Kenosha, WI
$35.42
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI
$42.19
Madison, WI
$44.08
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
$36.74
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, WI
$42.34
Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, WI
$41.09
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI
$42.16
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
$43.67
Sheboygan, WI
$43.72
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, WI
$41.92
Wausau, WI
$40.17
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area, WI
$41.65
Beckley, WV
$29.69
Charleston, WV
$32.39
Huntington-Ashland, WV
$32.58
Morgantown, WV
$32.52
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area, WV
$36.16
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
$34.43
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area, WV
$34.60
Weirton-Steubenville, WV
$31.16
Wheeling, WV
$30.01
Casper, WY
$36.80
Cheyenne, WY
$36.29
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, WY
$36.34
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area, WY
$38.17
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Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Hygienist Pay
The average dental hygienist in the United States earns approximately $41.35 per hour. Hourly rates range from $16.91 in lower-cost markets to $92.76 in high-demand metro areas like San Francisco, Seattle, and Anchorage.
Based on a standard 40-hour work week, the average dental hygienist earns roughly $86,008 per year. Actual annual compensation varies by location, experience, and whether the hygienist works full-time or part-time.
The highest-paying cities for dental hygienists tend to be in Alaska, California, Washington, and the Pacific Northwest. Cities like Fairbanks, Anchorage, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle consistently rank among the top-paying metro areas due to higher cost of living and strong demand for dental professionals.
Key factors include geographic location and cost of living, years of experience, type of practice (private, corporate, or specialty), additional certifications such as local anesthesia or nitrous oxide administration, and whether the position is full-time, part-time, or temporary.
Dental hygienists can increase their earnings by obtaining additional certifications, working in high-demand metro areas, picking up temp or per-diem shifts through platforms like GoTu, specializing in periodontics or pediatric dentistry, and negotiating benefits packages in addition to base hourly pay.

