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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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