Dental Hygienists: salary, outlook & degrees
Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.
Middle half $83,570–$108,480. 222,740 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
44% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $65,067.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 15,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assisting Services | 46% | Dental Support Services and Allied Professions |
| Biology | 7% | Biology |
| Nursing | 7% | Nursing |
| Psychology | 4% | Psychology |
| General Medical And Health Services | 3% | Health Sciences |
| Business Management And Administration | 2% | Business Administration |
| Community And Public Health | 2% | Public Health |
| Multi-Disciplinary Or General Science | 2% | Biological and Physical Sciences |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 1% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $137,220 |
| Alaska | $132,690 |
| Washington | $131,160 |
| California | $124,930 |
| Oregon | $122,080 |
| Nevada | $115,290 |
| Colorado | $109,580 |
| Maryland | $107,830 |
| New Jersey | $107,040 |
| New York | $106,130 |
| Minnesota | $103,970 |
| Virginia | $102,950 |
| New Hampshire | $101,250 |
| Arizona | $101,010 |
| Connecticut | $100,690 |
| Massachusetts | $100,640 |
| Texas | $99,240 |
| Delaware | $98,910 |
| Montana | $98,440 |
| North Carolina | $97,850 |
| Maine | $97,680 |
| Oklahoma | $97,580 |
| Hawaii | $97,570 |
| Vermont | $97,470 |
| Illinois | $96,670 |
| Wisconsin | $96,540 |
| New Mexico | $95,940 |
| Georgia | $95,490 |
| Idaho | $94,650 |
| Missouri | $92,750 |
| Nebraska | $92,580 |
| Indiana | $92,330 |
| South Dakota | $92,210 |
| Florida | $91,980 |
| Utah | $91,120 |
| North Dakota | $90,530 |
| Ohio | $88,990 |
| Rhode Island | $86,910 |
| Arkansas | $86,760 |
| Louisiana | $85,240 |
| Wyoming | $85,130 |
| Tennessee | $84,640 |
| South Carolina | $84,340 |
| Iowa | $84,010 |
| Michigan | $83,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,610 |
| Kentucky | $78,830 |
| West Virginia | $73,840 |
| Mississippi | $67,280 |
| GU | $62,970 |
| Alabama | $61,160 |
| PR | $59,320 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$82,780
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$95,870
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$92,560
- Jacksonville$94,960
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$95,930
- Port St. Lucie$94,060
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$95,400
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$91,120
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$119,170
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$98,890
- Richmond$104,250
- Kingsport-Bristol$82,870
- Roanoke$98,550
- Charlottesville$107,690
- Lynchburg$96,990
- Harrisonburg$100,620
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$122,980
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$146,760
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$122,540
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$123,790
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$105,730
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$139,990
- Fresno$101,730
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$126,530
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge used
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- English Language
- Education and Training
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Cautiousness
- Empathy
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Realistic (hands-on), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Dental Hygienists: questions
How much do dental Hygienists make?
Dental Hygienists earn a U.S. median $98,100 a year; the middle half earn $83,570 to $108,480 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $60,328 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is dental Hygienists a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 8.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a dental Hygienist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as associate's degree. In O*NET's survey, 25% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is medical Assisting Services (46%).
How much do dental Hygienists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $91,980 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $98,100 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 29-1292. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Dental Hygienists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/dental-hygienists.