The average dental hygienist salary in Oklahoma is $81,000 per year.
Dental hygienists in Oklahoma make an average of $81,000 per year, or around $40 per hour. The highest-paid dental hygienists make $115,000 annually on average, while the lowest-paid make $45,000 or less. The middle 50 percent of all dental hygienists earn between $59,650 and $111,910 per year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are about 2,600 dental hygienists working in Oklahoma’s healthcare industry as of 2016.
The median annual salary for a dental hygienist in Oklahoma is $53,000. The highest-paying metropolitan area in Oklahoma is Tulsa, where dental hygienists earn an average of $69,000 per year. The lowest-paying metropolitan area in the state is Lawton, where dental hygienists average $47,000 per year.
Dental Hygienist Salary In Oklahoma
Dental hygienists in Oklahoma are licensed by the State Board of Dentistry. Licensing is granted by examination or credentials with a minimum educational requirement of an associate’s degree.
There are three accredited dental hygienist schools in Oklahoma from which approximately 71 students graduate each year with the expectation of earning an annual starting salary of $25,000 to $30,000.
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Salaries/Wages of Dental Hygienists, Assistants and Technicians in Oklahoma
A comparative look at 2012 salaries/wages in Oklahoma (BLS):
Hygienists
Assistants
Technicians
Median Annual Salary
$70210
$34500
$33070
Median Hourly Wage
$33.75
$16.59
$15.90
Specific Dental Hygienist Salaries/Wages Statewide (BLS-2013)
- Number Employed – 1,940
- Mean Annual Salary and Hourly Wage – $61,830 and $29.73
- 10th Percentile Salary and Wage – $30,550 and $14.69
- 25th Percentile Salary and Wage – $38,220 and $18.38
- 90th Percentile Annual Salary – $93,580
Differences in Dental Hygienist Salaries/Wages within Oklahoma
Level of education, years of experience and geographic location are some of the factors that create differences in dental hygienist salaries. Completion of a two-year dental hygienist program is enough to sit for the licensing exam; however, a bachelor’s degree is likely to result in a higher salary and greater responsibilities.
There are also salary variations between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, cities and towns. The following list describes salary/wage differences in Oklahoma’s four nonmetropolitan areas:
Northeastern
Northwestern
Southeastern
Southwestern
Number Employed
120
80
220
NA
Mean Annual Salary
$76600
$70210
$65030
$66890
Mean Hourly Wage
$36.83
$33.76
$31.26
$32.16
10th Percentile Salary
$40690
$54470
$40140
$36610
10th Percentile Wage
$19.56
$26.19
$19.30
$17.60
25th Percentile Salary
$59900
$61010
$53760
$55190
25th Percentile Wage
$28.80
$29.33
$25.85
$26.84
90th Percentile Salary
$125650
$89670
$88100
$91730
Dental Hygienist Job Prospects in Oklahoma
The government predicts a 25 percent increase in dental hygienist jobs by 2018, which makes it a promising career choice. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) there are close to 2,000 dental hygienists employed in Oklahoma. By 2018 that number is expected to increase 25%, or to about 2,500, making job prospects very good. By contrast the BLS describes the job prospects of dental assistants and dental technicians as “better than average” and “lower than average” respectively.
The following table lists the BLS salary and wage data for various cities and metropolitan areas in Oklahoma (2013).
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Fort Smith AR-OK
180
27.96
58160
27.62
38.56
43.14
57450
80210
89730
Lawton OK
70
32.26
67100
28.42
40.32
54.01
59110
83860
112330
Oklahoma City OK
1000
26.11
54300
21.45
36.45
43.76
44620
75810
91020
Tulsa OK
380
34.42
71590
34.83
41.90
48.01
72450
87150
99870
