U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment Statistics
PRINT:Print
OES OES Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

29-2021 Dental Hygienists

Clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
204,990 1.2 % $35.31 $73,440 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $24.46 $29.09 $35.05 $41.53 $48.16
Annual Wage (2) $50,870 $60,500 $72,910 $86,390 $100,170

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 194,830 21.24 $35.45 $73,740
Employment Services 2,380 0.07 $34.01 $70,750
Offices of Physicians 1,890 0.08 $33.09 $68,830
Outpatient Care Centers 1,380 0.17 $34.63 $72,040
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 770 0.04 $28.06 $58,360

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 194,830 21.24 $35.45 $73,740
Outpatient Care Centers 1,380 0.17 $34.63 $72,040
Offices of Physicians 1,890 0.08 $33.09 $68,830
Employment Services 2,380 0.07 $34.01 $70,750
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 490 0.06 $33.20 $69,050

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services (8) (8) $41.40 $86,120
Offices of Dentists 194,830 21.24 $35.45 $73,740
Outpatient Care Centers 1,380 0.17 $34.63 $72,040
Employment Services 2,380 0.07 $34.01 $70,750
Management of Companies and Enterprises 60 (7) $33.85 $70,410

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 21,490 1.35 0.92 $45.50 $94,640
Texas 12,500 1.06 0.73 $35.09 $72,980
Florida 11,010 1.34 0.92 $30.28 $62,990
New York 10,750 1.18 0.81 $36.47 $75,860
Michigan 9,880 2.34 1.61 $29.54 $61,450




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Vermont 740 2.43 1.67 $31.33 $65,160
Michigan 9,880 2.34 1.61 $29.54 $61,450
Connecticut 3,810 2.29 1.57 $39.87 $82,920
Idaho 1,510 2.28 1.56 $35.40 $73,630
Rhode Island 1,070 2.24 1.54 $35.75 $74,350




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 480 1.50 1.03 $49.47 $102,890
California 21,490 1.35 0.92 $45.50 $94,640
New Mexico 1,190 1.47 1.01 $43.79 $91,080
Washington 5,800 1.89 1.30 $43.34 $90,150
Nevada 1,920 1.51 1.04 $41.61 $86,550





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,670 1.01 0.69 $41.96 $87,270
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 4,670 1.28 0.88 $37.31 $77,600
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,660 1.10 0.76 $45.09 $93,780
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 3,490 1.37 0.94 $33.37 $69,410
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 3,360 2.79 1.91 $29.17 $60,680
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,360 1.76 1.21 $35.13 $73,070
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 3,040 1.25 0.86 $36.51 $75,940
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 2,760 1.95 1.34 $39.84 $82,870
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 2,740 1.72 1.18 $44.63 $92,820
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 2,640 1.06 0.73 $44.24 $92,010