Sort by any column. Employment is the number of dental hygienists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Dental Hygienist Salary by State (2026)
Dental Hygienists earn the most in District of Columbia at $137,220 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $59,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $98,100. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $137,220
- National median
- $98,100
- Lowest median
- $59,320
- States reporting
- 52
District of Columbia
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Dental Hygienists
- 1. District of Columbia$137,220 median · $124,858 adjusted · 320 employed
- 2. Alaska$132,690 median · $129,632 adjusted · 790 employed
- 3. Washington$131,160 median · $122,565 adjusted · 6,330 employed
- 4. California$124,930 median · $112,834 adjusted · 24,500 employed
- 5. Oregon$122,080 median · $118,110 adjusted · 3,600 employed
Lowest-paying states for Dental Hygienists
- 52. Puerto Rico$59,320 median · no price parity · N/A employed
- 51. Alabama$61,160 median · $68,856 adjusted · 3,170 employed
- 50. Guam$62,970 median · no price parity · 40 employed
- 49. Mississippi$67,280 median · $77,375 adjusted · 1,140 employed
- 48. West Virginia$73,840 median · $82,506 adjusted · 1,250 employed
Dental Hygienist salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $137,220 | $104,470 | $138,710 | 320 | $124,858 |
| 2 | Alaska | $132,690 | $130,340 | $136,450 | 790 | $129,632 |
| 3 | Washington | $131,160 | $122,000 | $134,670 | 6,330 | $122,565 |
| 4 | California | $124,930 | $109,730 | $132,120 | 24,500 | $112,834 |
| 5 | Oregon | $122,080 | $109,640 | $126,460 | 3,600 | $118,110 |
| 6 | Nevada | $115,290 | $104,330 | $121,730 | 1,510 | $115,314 |
| 7 | Colorado | $109,580 | $102,580 | $125,470 | 4,270 | $106,335 |
| 8 | Maryland | $107,830 | $103,150 | $120,070 | 3,500 | $102,735 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $107,040 | $101,270 | $115,470 | 7,230 | $98,378 |
| 10 | New York | $106,130 | $89,960 | $121,740 | 13,660 | $98,340 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $103,970 | $99,040 | $116,350 | 4,110 | $105,424 |
| 12 | Virginia | $102,950 | $97,630 | $119,690 | 3,770 | $101,826 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $101,250 | $97,820 | $104,260 | 1,360 | $97,202 |
| 14 | Arizona | $101,010 | $98,660 | $105,990 | 4,530 | $100,331 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $100,690 | $97,630 | $103,380 | 3,240 | $97,182 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $100,640 | $98,150 | $106,220 | 6,850 | $95,162 |
| 17 | Texas | $99,240 | $85,280 | $107,320 | 16,380 | $102,249 |
| 18 | Delaware | $98,910 | $97,570 | $103,310 | 750 | $99,100 |
| 19 | Montana | $98,440 | $94,460 | $100,920 | 860 | $104,010 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $97,850 | $84,150 | $100,930 | 6,690 | $103,736 |
| 21 | Maine | $97,680 | $88,400 | $102,440 | 1,060 | $100,649 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $97,580 | $95,980 | $103,210 | 2,860 | $111,085 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $97,570 | $85,590 | $102,910 | 830 | $88,740 |
| 24 | Vermont | $97,470 | $91,210 | $101,230 | 560 | $99,502 |
| 25 | Illinois | $96,670 | $79,400 | $101,800 | 8,970 | $96,711 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $96,540 | $83,880 | $100,750 | 5,080 | $102,598 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $95,940 | $86,300 | $99,960 | 1,420 | $104,043 |
| 28 | Georgia | $95,490 | $81,140 | $101,620 | 7,440 | $99,166 |
| 29 | Idaho | $94,650 | $92,820 | $98,410 | 2,060 | $99,116 |
| 30 | Missouri | $92,750 | $83,890 | $98,240 | 3,810 | $102,128 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $92,580 | $85,140 | $96,210 | 1,280 | $102,749 |
| 32 | Indiana | $92,330 | $81,250 | $99,020 | 5,020 | $98,930 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $92,210 | $83,230 | $96,230 | 630 | $104,091 |
| 34 | Florida | $91,980 | $80,190 | $96,060 | 11,980 | $88,943 |
| 35 | Utah | $91,120 | $81,660 | $95,490 | 3,780 | $92,167 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $90,530 | $84,020 | $96,170 | 660 | $101,766 |
| 37 | Ohio | $88,990 | $80,980 | $97,210 | 8,630 | $95,921 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $86,910 | $84,030 | $91,160 | 770 | $84,973 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $86,760 | $82,620 | $93,600 | 1,740 | $99,796 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $85,240 | $79,550 | $96,010 | 2,690 | $96,636 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $85,130 | $61,360 | $96,890 | 500 | $91,843 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $84,640 | $80,380 | $94,240 | 4,570 | $92,130 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $84,340 | $79,400 | $94,830 | 3,160 | $89,964 |
| 44 | Iowa | $84,010 | $80,950 | $93,880 | 2,440 | $95,725 |
| 45 | Michigan | $83,790 | $79,670 | $93,310 | 8,640 | $87,084 |
| 46 | Pennsylvania | $80,610 | $75,620 | $99,950 | 7,970 | $82,616 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $78,830 | $67,880 | $91,800 | 2,070 | $87,434 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $73,840 | $63,420 | $76,260 | 1,250 | $82,506 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $67,280 | $63,000 | $74,600 | 1,140 | $77,375 |
| 50 | Guam | $62,970 | $47,020 | $81,280 | 40 | N/A |
| 51 | Alabama | $61,160 | $58,800 | $63,410 | 3,170 | $68,856 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $59,320 | $59,320 | $59,320 | N/A | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Dental Hygienists, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $137,220, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $129,632.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Dental Hygienist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Dental Hygienists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Dental Hygienists at $137,220 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($132,690) and Washington ($131,160).
Which state pays Dental Hygienists the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Dental Hygienists at $59,320 a year, $77,900 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Dental Hygienists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Alaska first at $129,632 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $132,690. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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