Monday, May 8, 2023

20 Best Metro Areas for Dental Hygienist Pay

As examined in Dental Hygienist Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Markets, the biggest U.S. metropolitan markets are major centers for dental hygienist employment. That fact notwithstanding, a deeper dive into U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals that smaller metro areas are where dental hygienists frequently find better pay, sometimes a whole lot better.  Indeed, a review of BLS data from May 2022 shows us that just four of the top 20 U.S. metropolitan areas were among the 20 best population centers for dental hygienist pay:

20 Best Metro Areas for Dental Hygienist Pay

Metropolitan Area # Employed Annual Mean Wages
1 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 460 $131,200
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) 3,780 $123,330
3 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,720 $122,370
4 Santa Rosa, CA 460 $119,730
5 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (#) 4,390 $117,350
6 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 230 $116,900
7 Napa, CA 100 $115,180
8 Anchorage, AK 350 $114,920
9 Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 190 $114,510
10 Fairbanks, AK 60 $113,740
11 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 270 $112,420
12 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#) 9,560 $111,860
13 Salinas, CA 220 $111,510
14 Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 170 $109,600
15 Modesto, CA 300 $108,710
16 San Diego-Carlsbad (#) 1,760 $106,320
17 Stockton-Lodi, CA 470 $106,250
18 Yuba City, CA 80 $105,500
19 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 100 $105,380
20 Longview, WA 90 $105,380
National 214,700 $84,860

(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 6, 2023