Dental Hygienists: pay by state
National median: $98,100/yr BLS OEWS OEWS ’25 . Below, each state's median wage is adjusted to national prices so you can compare real purchasing power, not just headline pay.
National wage range
10th percentile$74,880 25th percentile$83,570 Median$98,100 75th percentile$108,480 90th percentile$126,050
BLS percentile estimates describe the wage distribution; they are not experience levels or guaranteed offers. Published employment: 222,740. How to read wage percentiles →
What's the equivalent in another state?
A dental hygienist earning the median $137,220 in District of Columbia needs about $121,238 in 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.
The wage distribution
Nationally, the published 10th-to-90th-percentile range runs from $74,880 to $126,050. Those percentiles describe the observed wage distribution; they should not be treated as automatic starting- and senior-pay bands.
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). Wage percentiles show the published spread; employment is the BLS estimate for the occupation.
| # | State | Employment | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Price level | Real median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 790 | $60,590 | $132,690 | $138,840 | 102.4 | $129,580 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 320 | $86,120 | $137,220 | $155,840 | 109.9 | $124,859 |
| 3 | Washington | 6,330 | $107,090 | $131,160 | $162,050 | 107.0 | $122,579 |
| 4 | Oregon | 3,600 | $104,530 | $122,080 | $134,120 | 103.4 | $118,066 |
| 5 | Nevada | 1,510 | $99,800 | $115,290 | $129,460 | 100.0 | $115,290 |
| 6 | California | 24,500 | $102,090 | $124,930 | $151,920 | 110.7 | $112,855 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 2,860 | $81,290 | $97,580 | $119,760 | 87.8 | $111,139 |
| 8 | Colorado | 4,270 | $95,680 | $109,580 | $128,900 | 103.1 | $106,285 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 4,110 | $82,110 | $103,970 | $120,270 | 98.6 | $105,446 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 630 | $73,480 | $92,210 | $98,290 | 88.6 | $104,074 |
| 11 | Montana | 860 | $83,060 | $98,440 | $104,780 | 94.6 | $104,059 |
| 12 | New Mexico | 1,420 | $82,180 | $95,940 | $105,440 | 92.2 | $104,056 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 6,690 | $77,270 | $97,850 | $103,850 | 94.3 | $103,765 |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,280 | $67,600 | $92,580 | $98,080 | 90.1 | $102,752 |
| 15 | Maryland | 3,500 | $85,440 | $107,830 | $122,740 | 105.0 | $102,695 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 5,080 | $80,370 | $96,540 | $110,240 | 94.1 | $102,593 |
| 17 | Texas | 16,380 | $71,530 | $99,240 | $117,890 | 97.1 | $102,204 |
| 18 | Missouri | 3,810 | $59,880 | $92,750 | $99,400 | 90.8 | $102,148 |
| 19 | Virginia | 3,770 | $86,730 | $102,950 | $125,560 | 101.1 | $101,830 |
| 20 | North Dakota | 660 | $82,890 | $90,530 | $98,530 | 89.0 | $101,719 |
| 21 | Maine | 1,060 | $83,420 | $97,680 | $108,680 | 97.1 | $100,597 |
| 22 | Arizona | 4,530 | $91,480 | $101,010 | $121,910 | 100.7 | $100,308 |
| 23 | Arkansas | 1,740 | $62,170 | $86,760 | $97,730 | 86.9 | $99,839 |
| 24 | Vermont | 560 | $81,010 | $97,470 | $110,010 | 98.0 | $99,459 |
| 25 | Georgia | 7,440 | $74,610 | $95,490 | $103,650 | 96.3 | $99,159 |
| 26 | Idaho | 2,060 | $85,610 | $94,650 | $103,340 | 95.5 | $99,110 |
| 27 | Delaware | 750 | $93,580 | $98,910 | $112,940 | 99.8 | $99,108 |
| 28 | Indiana | 5,020 | $74,970 | $92,330 | $102,280 | 93.3 | $98,960 |
| 29 | New Jersey | 7,230 | $94,260 | $107,040 | $117,730 | 108.8 | $98,382 |
| 30 | New York | 13,660 | $77,680 | $106,130 | $126,640 | 107.9 | $98,360 |
| 31 | Connecticut | 3,240 | $87,190 | $100,690 | $106,020 | 103.6 | $97,191 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | 1,360 | $86,400 | $101,250 | $122,980 | 104.2 | $97,169 |
| 33 | Illinois | 8,970 | $74,280 | $96,670 | $118,410 | 100.0 | $96,670 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 2,690 | $49,900 | $85,240 | $98,330 | 88.2 | $96,644 |
| 35 | Ohio | 8,630 | $76,260 | $88,990 | $102,950 | 92.8 | $95,894 |
| 36 | Iowa | 2,440 | $78,320 | $84,010 | $95,810 | 87.8 | $95,683 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | 6,850 | $93,510 | $100,640 | $117,380 | 105.8 | $95,123 |
| 38 | Utah | 3,780 | $78,830 | $91,120 | $99,570 | 98.9 | $92,133 |
| 39 | Tennessee | 4,570 | $76,190 | $84,640 | $98,300 | 91.9 | $92,100 |
| 40 | Wyoming | 500 | $61,020 | $85,130 | $99,350 | 92.7 | $91,834 |
| 41 | South Carolina | 3,160 | $65,700 | $84,340 | $97,220 | 93.7 | $90,011 |
| 42 | Florida | 11,980 | $75,960 | $91,980 | $99,040 | 103.4 | $88,956 |
| 43 | Hawaii | 830 | $78,800 | $97,570 | $104,000 | 110.0 | $88,700 |
| 44 | Kentucky | 2,070 | $61,280 | $78,830 | $98,770 | 90.2 | $87,395 |
| 45 | Michigan | 8,640 | $77,230 | $83,790 | $96,970 | 96.2 | $87,100 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | 770 | $83,800 | $86,910 | $100,520 | 102.3 | $84,956 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | 7,970 | $63,130 | $80,610 | $103,540 | 97.6 | $82,592 |
| 48 | West Virginia | 1,250 | $59,950 | $73,840 | $83,430 | 89.5 | $82,503 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 1,140 | $58,810 | $67,280 | $83,320 | 87.0 | $77,333 |
| 50 | Alabama | 3,170 | $48,960 | $61,160 | $72,410 | 88.8 | $68,874 |
| — | Kansas | — | — | — | — | 90.1 | — |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official data
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data