Dental Hygienists: pay by state
National median: $98,100/yrBLS OEWS OEWSSource: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 vintage · released May 2025 · Official API. Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
What's the equivalent in another state?
A dental hygienist earning the median$137,220in District of Columbia needs about$121,238in Texas to keep the same purchasing power. The actual median there is $99,240(—).
Show the math
How much the state matters
Nationally, the median dental hygienist earns $98,100 a year. But the state-by-state gap is large: from $137,220 in District of Columbia down to $61,160 in Alabama — a spread of 124% for the same job.
Where the job really pays best
Headline pay is only half the story. Adjust each state's wage for its cost of living and the map redraws itself. Once prices are accounted for, Alaska offers the strongest real pay ($129,580 in national-average terms), even though it ranks only 2th on nominal wages. California, by contrast, pays a high nominal $124,930 but slips to 6th on real pay once its price level is factored in.
A note on coverage
BLS does not publish a dental hygienists wage estimate for Kansas, so that state is shown as “—” rather than guessed.
Every state, ranked by real pay
“Real pay” = median wage ÷ (state price level ÷ 100). Sorted best-first. 100 = US average price level.
| # | State | Median wage | Price level | Real pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $132,690 | 102.4 | $129,580 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $137,220 | 109.9 | $124,859 |
| 3 | Washington | $131,160 | 107.0 | $122,579 |
| 4 | Oregon | $122,080 | 103.4 | $118,066 |
| 5 | Nevada | $115,290 | 100.0 | $115,290 |
| 6 | California | $124,930 | 110.7 | $112,855 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | $97,580 | 87.8 | $111,139 |
| 8 | Colorado | $109,580 | 103.1 | $106,285 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $103,970 | 98.6 | $105,446 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $92,210 | 88.6 | $104,074 |
| 11 | Montana | $98,440 | 94.6 | $104,059 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $95,940 | 92.2 | $104,056 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $97,850 | 94.3 | $103,765 |
| 14 | Nebraska | $92,580 | 90.1 | $102,752 |
| 15 | Maryland | $107,830 | 105.0 | $102,695 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $96,540 | 94.1 | $102,593 |
| 17 | Texas | $99,240 | 97.1 | $102,204 |
| 18 | Missouri | $92,750 | 90.8 | $102,148 |
| 19 | Virginia | $102,950 | 101.1 | $101,830 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $90,530 | 89.0 | $101,719 |
| 21 | Maine | $97,680 | 97.1 | $100,597 |
| 22 | Arizona | $101,010 | 100.7 | $100,308 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $86,760 | 86.9 | $99,839 |
| 24 | Vermont | $97,470 | 98.0 | $99,459 |
| 25 | Georgia | $95,490 | 96.3 | $99,159 |
| 26 | Idaho | $94,650 | 95.5 | $99,110 |
| 27 | Delaware | $98,910 | 99.8 | $99,108 |
| 28 | Indiana | $92,330 | 93.3 | $98,960 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $107,040 | 108.8 | $98,382 |
| 30 | New York | $106,130 | 107.9 | $98,360 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $100,690 | 103.6 | $97,191 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $101,250 | 104.2 | $97,169 |
| 33 | Illinois | $96,670 | 100.0 | $96,670 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $85,240 | 88.2 | $96,644 |
| 35 | Ohio | $88,990 | 92.8 | $95,894 |
| 36 | Iowa | $84,010 | 87.8 | $95,683 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $100,640 | 105.8 | $95,123 |
| 38 | Utah | $91,120 | 98.9 | $92,133 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $84,640 | 91.9 | $92,100 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $85,130 | 92.7 | $91,834 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $84,340 | 93.7 | $90,011 |
| 42 | Florida | $91,980 | 103.4 | $88,956 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $97,570 | 110.0 | $88,700 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $78,830 | 90.2 | $87,395 |
| 45 | Michigan | $83,790 | 96.2 | $87,100 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $86,910 | 102.3 | $84,956 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $80,610 | 97.6 | $82,592 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $73,840 | 89.5 | $82,503 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $67,280 | 87.0 | $77,333 |
| 50 | Alabama | $61,160 | 88.8 | $68,874 |
| 51 | Kansas | — | 90.1 | — |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 2025 · Official API
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API