Pay by state · 52 states
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
- $137,220District of Columbia
- National median
- $98,100BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $59,320Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
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?
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.