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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

29-1292 Dental Hygienists

Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.


National estimates for Dental Hygienists
Industry profile for Dental Hygienists
Geographic profile for Dental Hygienists

National estimates for Dental Hygienists:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Dental Hygienists:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
214,700 1.6 % $ 40.80 $ 84,860 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Dental Hygienists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.57 $ 36.11 $ 39.14 $ 46.57 $ 51.75
Annual Wage (2) $ 61,510 $ 75,100 $ 81,400 $ 96,870 $ 107,640


Industry profile for Dental Hygienists:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Dental Hygienists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 203,330 20.20 $ 40.92 $ 85,110
Employment Services 2,630 0.07 $ 42.63 $ 88,670
Offices of Physicians 2,080 0.07 $ 37.06 $ 77,070
Outpatient Care Centers 1,850 0.18 $ 41.63 $ 86,580
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 870 0.04 $ 33.39 $ 69,450

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Dental Hygienists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 203,330 20.20 $ 40.92 $ 85,110
Outpatient Care Centers 1,850 0.18 $ 41.63 $ 86,580
Employment Services 2,630 0.07 $ 42.63 $ 88,670
Offices of Physicians 2,080 0.07 $ 37.06 $ 77,070
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 90 0.04 $ 29.91 $ 62,210

Top paying industries for Dental Hygienists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services (8) (8) $ 46.61 $ 96,950
Management of Companies and Enterprises 170 0.01 $ 43.93 $ 91,380
Employment Services 2,630 0.07 $ 42.63 $ 88,670
Outpatient Care Centers 1,850 0.18 $ 41.63 $ 86,580
Facilities Support Services 30 0.02 $ 41.60 $ 86,530


Geographic profile for Dental Hygienists:

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



Map of employment of dental hygienists by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Dental Hygienists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 25,980 1.47 1.01 $ 53.65 $ 111,580
New York 13,360 1.47 1.01 $ 40.80 $ 84,860
Florida 13,090 1.42 0.98 $ 36.59 $ 76,100
Texas 11,180 0.86 0.59 $ 38.31 $ 79,690
Pennsylvania 8,640 1.49 1.02 $ 36.32 $ 75,550


Map of location quotient of dental hygienists by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dental Hygienists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Idaho 1,780 2.24 1.54 $ 39.49 $ 82,140
North Dakota 890 2.18 1.50 $ 36.91 $ 76,760
Washington 7,140 2.10 1.45 $ 53.57 $ 111,430
Vermont 610 2.09 1.44 $ 41.18 $ 85,660
Wyoming 540 2.01 1.39 $ 37.79 $ 78,600


Map of annual mean wages of dental hygienists by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Dental Hygienists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 560 1.83 1.26 $ 54.70 $ 113,770
California 25,980 1.47 1.01 $ 53.65 $ 111,580
Washington 7,140 2.10 1.45 $ 53.57 $ 111,430
Oregon 3,170 1.67 1.15 $ 45.85 $ 95,360
New Jersey 6,250 1.52 1.05 $ 45.49 $ 94,610



Map of employment of dental hygienists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Dental Hygienists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 13,270 1.44 0.99 $ 44.45 $ 92,450
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 9,560 1.57 1.08 $ 53.78 $ 111,860
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 6,900 1.56 1.08 $ 37.80 $ 78,610
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 4,800 1.73 1.19 $ 41.91 $ 87,160
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,390 2.16 1.49 $ 56.42 $ 117,350
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,780 1.58 1.09 $ 59.29 $ 123,330
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,670 1.40 0.96 $ 35.61 $ 74,080
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,420 1.13 0.78 $ 45.92 $ 95,510
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 3,420 1.54 1.06 $ 42.81 $ 89,050
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,410 1.26 0.87 $ 43.23 $ 89,910


Map of location quotient of dental hygienists by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dental Hygienists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 200 3.65 2.51 $ 37.45 $ 77,900
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 180 3.33 2.30 $ 42.01 $ 87,380
Pocatello, ID 110 3.07 2.12 $ 37.05 $ 77,060
St. George, UT 240 3.04 2.10 $ 32.94 $ 68,510
Flint, MI 390 3.01 2.07 $ 33.52 $ 69,730
Wausau, WI 200 2.94 2.03 $ 34.88 $ 72,550
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 1,130 2.86 1.97 $ 47.16 $ 98,100
Danbury, CT 210 2.74 1.89 $ 42.99 $ 89,410
Kokomo, IN 90 2.72 1.87 $ 38.47 $ 80,020
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 840 2.69 1.85 $ 49.44 $ 102,840


Map of annual mean wages of dental hygienists by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Dental Hygienists:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 460 2.24 1.54 $ 63.08 $ 131,200
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,780 1.58 1.09 $ 59.29 $ 123,330
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,720 1.53 1.05 $ 58.83 $ 122,370
Santa Rosa, CA 460 2.24 1.54 $ 57.56 $ 119,730
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,390 2.16 1.49 $ 56.42 $ 117,350
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 230 2.42 1.66 $ 56.20 $ 116,900
Napa, CA 100 1.41 0.97 $ 55.38 $ 115,180
Anchorage, AK 350 2.11 1.45 $ 55.25 $ 114,920
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 190 1.39 0.96 $ 55.05 $ 114,510
Fairbanks, AK 60 1.84 1.27 $ 54.68 $ 113,740

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Dental Hygienists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 380 1.19 0.82 $ 33.94 $ 70,600
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 370 1.99 1.37 $ 39.49 $ 82,140
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 370 1.40 0.96 $ 33.38 $ 69,420
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 360 1.85 1.27 $ 36.52 $ 75,970
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 340 1.38 0.95 $ 36.21 $ 75,310

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Dental Hygienists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 210 2.67 1.84 $ 40.78 $ 84,810
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 260 2.56 1.76 $ 45.35 $ 94,330
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area 290 2.48 1.71 $ 32.69 $ 68,000
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 230 2.27 1.57 $ 40.87 $ 85,000
Northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 170 2.25 1.55 $ 32.49 $ 67,590

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Dental Hygienists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 100 1.00 0.69 $ 54.17 $ 112,660
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 150 1.44 0.99 $ 53.99 $ 112,300
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 150 1.44 0.99 $ 53.37 $ 111,000
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 170 1.36 0.93 $ 52.30 $ 108,790
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 90 1.49 1.03 $ 51.24 $ 106,580


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023