There were approximately 207,000 dental hygienists working in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. Most dental hygienists work in dental offices, but small numbers may be found working with employment agencies, in physician offices, and in outpatient care centers. Like many other trained healthcare professionals with advanced technical skills, dental hygienists earn salaries and wages in excess of that earned by workers in most other occupations. Per BLS estimates, as of May 2021, the national mean wage for dental hygienists was $81,360 annually. Pay for the profession varies widely from state to state, with dental hygienists in some states making more than twice what their counterparts made elsewhere. As of May 2021, according to BLS data the ten states with the best annual mean salary and wages for dental hygienists were:
| Alaska | $115,510 |
| California | $108,200 |
| Washington | $106,200 |
| Oregon | $94,420 |
| Nevada | $89,460 |
| Maryland | $89,340 |
| Connecticut | $88,610 |
| New Jersey | $87,070 |
| Massachusetts | $87,030 |
| Colorado | $86,890 |
At the other end of the spectrum, here were the bottom ten states for dental hygienist pay:
| Pennsylvania | $71,710 |
| Maine | $71,640 |
| North Dakota | $69,440 |
| Tennessee | $68,770 |
| Michigan | $66,720 |
| South Carolina | $65,440 |
| Kentucky | $61,500 |
| West Virginia | $61,050 |
| Mississippi | $57,670 |
| Alabama | $51,130 |
So where does your state rank for dental hygienists pay?
Check out Dental Hygienist Average Wages by State for more information.