Pay by state · 52 areas
Dental Hygienist Salary by State (2026)
Dental Hygienists earn the most in District of Columbia at $137,220 a year and the least in Alabama at $61,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $98,100. The table below covers 49 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $137,220District of Columbia
- National median
- $98,100BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $61,160Alabama
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for dental hygienists
Ranked on the state median among the 49 reporting states and DC. After cost of living, Alaska comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$137,220
- 2Alaska$132,690
- 3Washington$131,160
- 4California$124,930
- 5Oregon$122,080
Lowest median pay
- 1Alabama$61,160
- 2Mississippi$67,280
- 3West Virginia$73,840
- 4Kentucky$78,830
- 5Pennsylvania$80,610
All states
Dental Hygienist salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $137,220 | $104,470 | $138,710 | 320 | $124,858 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $132,690 | $130,340 | $136,450 | 790 | $129,632 |
| 3 | WAWashington | $131,160 | $122,000 | $134,670 | 6,330 | $122,565 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $124,930 | $109,730 | $132,120 | 24,500 | $112,834 |
| 5 | OROregon | $122,080 | $109,640 | $126,460 | 3,600 | $118,110 |
| 6 | NVNevada | $115,290 | $104,330 | $121,730 | 1,510 | $115,314 |
| 7 | COColorado | $109,580 | $102,580 | $125,470 | 4,270 | $106,335 |
| 8 | MDMaryland | $107,830 | $103,150 | $120,070 | 3,500 | $102,735 |
| 9 | NJNew Jersey | $107,040 | $101,270 | $115,470 | 7,230 | $98,378 |
| 10 | NYNew York | $106,130 | $89,960 | $121,740 | 13,660 | $98,340 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $103,970 | $99,040 | $116,350 | 4,110 | $105,424 |
| 12 | VAVirginia | $102,950 | $97,630 | $119,690 | 3,770 | $101,826 |
| 13 | NHNew Hampshire | $101,250 | $97,820 | $104,260 | 1,360 | $97,202 |
| 14 | AZArizona | $101,010 | $98,660 | $105,990 | 4,530 | $100,331 |
| 15 | CTConnecticut | $100,690 | $97,630 | $103,380 | 3,240 | $97,182 |
| 16 | MAMassachusetts | $100,640 | $98,150 | $106,220 | 6,850 | $95,162 |
| 17 | TXTexas | $99,240 | $85,280 | $107,320 | 16,380 | $102,249 |
| 18 | DEDelaware | $98,910 | $97,570 | $103,310 | 750 | $99,100 |
| 19 | MTMontana | $98,440 | $94,460 | $100,920 | 860 | $104,010 |
| 20 | NCNorth Carolina | $97,850 | $84,150 | $100,930 | 6,690 | $103,736 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $97,680 | $88,400 | $102,440 | 1,060 | $100,649 |
| 22 | OKOklahoma | $97,580 | $95,980 | $103,210 | 2,860 | $111,085 |
| 23 | HIHawaii | $97,570 | $85,590 | $102,910 | 830 | $88,740 |
| 24 | VTVermont | $97,470 | $91,210 | $101,230 | 560 | $99,502 |
| 25 | ILIllinois | $96,670 | $79,400 | $101,800 | 8,970 | $96,711 |
| 26 | WIWisconsin | $96,540 | $83,880 | $100,750 | 5,080 | $102,598 |
| 27 | NMNew Mexico | $95,940 | $86,300 | $99,960 | 1,420 | $104,043 |
| 28 | GAGeorgia | $95,490 | $81,140 | $101,620 | 7,440 | $99,166 |
| 29 | IDIdaho | $94,650 | $92,820 | $98,410 | 2,060 | $99,116 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $92,750 | $83,890 | $98,240 | 3,810 | $102,128 |
| 31 | NENebraska | $92,580 | $85,140 | $96,210 | 1,280 | $102,749 |
| 32 | INIndiana | $92,330 | $81,250 | $99,020 | 5,020 | $98,930 |
| 33 | SDSouth Dakota | $92,210 | $83,230 | $96,230 | 630 | $104,091 |
| 34 | FLFlorida | $91,980 | $80,190 | $96,060 | 11,980 | $88,943 |
| 35 | UTUtah | $91,120 | $81,660 | $95,490 | 3,780 | $92,167 |
| 36 | NDNorth Dakota | $90,530 | $84,020 | $96,170 | 660 | $101,766 |
| 37 | OHOhio | $88,990 | $80,980 | $97,210 | 8,630 | $95,921 |
| 38 | RIRhode Island | $86,910 | $84,030 | $91,160 | 770 | $84,973 |
| 39 | ARArkansas | $86,760 | $82,620 | $93,600 | 1,740 | $99,796 |
| 40 | LALouisiana | $85,240 | $79,550 | $96,010 | 2,690 | $96,636 |
| 41 | WYWyoming | $85,130 | $61,360 | $96,890 | 500 | $91,843 |
| 42 | TNTennessee | $84,640 | $80,380 | $94,240 | 4,570 | $92,130 |
| 43 | SCSouth Carolina | $84,340 | $79,400 | $94,830 | 3,160 | $89,964 |
| 44 | IAIowa | $84,010 | $80,950 | $93,880 | 2,440 | $95,725 |
| 45 | MIMichigan | $83,790 | $79,670 | $93,310 | 8,640 | $87,084 |
| 46 | PAPennsylvania | $80,610 | $75,620 | $99,950 | 7,970 | $82,616 |
| 47 | KYKentucky | $78,830 | $67,880 | $91,800 | 2,070 | $87,434 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $73,840 | $63,420 | $76,260 | 1,250 | $82,506 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $67,280 | $63,000 | $74,600 | 1,140 | $77,375 |
| 50 | GUGuam | $62,970 | $47,020 | $81,280 | 40 | N/A |
| 51 | ALAlabama | $61,160 | $58,800 | $63,410 | 3,170 | $68,856 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $59,320 | $59,320 | $59,320 | N/A | N/A |
Method
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.
Questions
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?
Among the 49 reporting states and DC, Alabama reports the lowest median for dental hygienists at $61,160 a year, $76,060 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $62,970 and Puerto Rico reports $59,320.
In which states do dental hygienists earn over $100,000?
16 of the 49 reporting states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is District of Columbia; the lowest of them is Massachusetts at $100,640. The rest report less, down to $61,160 in Alabama.
Is the highest-paying state the best for dental hygienists after cost of living?
Not on this data. District of Columbia pays the most on paper ($137,220) but ranks 2nd of 50 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($124,858). Alaska leads after that adjustment at $129,632, from a raw median of $132,690. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.