A career as a dental hygienist is one of the best and most rewarding health care careers around. In fact, it’s consistently ranked among the top medical occupations in terms of salary, employment outlook and advancement opportunities. According to Payscale , you can expect to earn a salary between $44K and $88K upon graduation.
The average starting salary can range from $45,000 to $60,000 depending on the location. The average salary for a dent hygienist ranges between $54,000 and $65,000.
Starting Salary For Dental Hygienist Overview
If you’re looking for a career in dental hygiene, don’t worry! It’s a great time to be a hygienist. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that median annual wages for dental hygienists are $67,970 as of May 2016.
The average dental hygienist salary in Illinois is $91,050. There are many factors that influence the salary of dental hygienists. This includes the location where you are working, your level of experience and education, and what kind of employer you are working for (private practice or hospital).
In addition, the number of hours worked per week also has an impact on your salary as well. A typical work schedule could be anywhere from 20 hours per week to 40 hours per week depending on how many offices you work at at once and how many patients you see each day.
Dental Hygienist Education Requirements and Job Outlook
Dental hygienists typically need an associate’s degree in dental hygiene, which could take approximately 2-3 years to complete. Bachelor’s degrees in dental hygiene are also available but are less common. A bachelor’s or master’s degree is usually required for research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or school health programs.
High school students interested in becoming dental hygienists should take courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Some dental hygiene programs also require applicants to have completed at least 1 year of college. Specific entrance requirements vary by school. Most states require candidates for licensure to obtain a passing score on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (a comprehensive written examination) in addition to passing the state-authorized licensure examination.
In addition, a 2-part regional board consisting of an oral pathology slide exam and a clinical (live) exam (with a patient of your choosing and under direct scrutiny of an examiner) is usually required.
Most schools offer laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction. Hygienists study anatomy, physiology, nutrition, radiography, and periodontology, which is the study of gum disease.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of dental hygienists will grow 33 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations.
What Is the Starting Salary for a Dental Hygienist?
Cavities are one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. They affect roughly 84 percent of people over the age of 17, according to the American Dental Hygienist Association. Part of the reason is that many areas of the country don’t have enough dentists to care for the population, so they just go without. But you don’t necessarily need a dentist to keep your teeth clean. That’s the job of a dental hygienist, and salaries for these dental professionals can be quite high.
General Salaries
In 2011, dental hygienists earned an average of $69,760 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median wage — or “midpoint” salary for this occupation — was $69,280 a year, which means that half of all hygienists earn this salary or more a year. But neither of these figures account for experience. As with any job, a dental hygienist makes less when starting in the industry.
Starting Salaries
With less than one year of experience, a dental hygienist can expect to earn at least $12.38 an hour. This works out to almost $26,000 a year. On the high side, hygienists can earn a starting wage of $34.88 an hour, or just over $72,000 a year — a respectable salary for almost any professional fresh to the field. But compared to the high end of hygienists with five or more years of experience, which is estimated at just over $93,000 a year, there’s room to grow as far as salary goes.
Salary and Wage Averages for Dental Hygienists
Employment | Average hourly wage | Average annual salary |
196,520 | $34.60 | $71,970 |
Percentile wage estimates for dental hygienists:
Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) | 75% | 90% |
Hourly Wage | $23.65 | $28.80 | $34.38 | $40.98 | $46.82 |
Annual Wage | $49,190 | $59,890 | $71,520 | $85,240 | $97,390 |
Industries with the highest levels of employment for dental hygienists:
Industry | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
Offices of Dentists | $34.76 | $72,300 |
Employment Services | $33.34 | $69,360 |
Offices of Physicians | $32.42 | $67,440 |
Outpatient Care Centers | $32.65 | $67,920 |
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) | $26.75 | $55,630 |
Top paying industries for dental hygienists:
Industry | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $36.01 | $74,910 |
Offices of Dentists | $34.76 | $72,300 |
Employment Services | $33.34 | $69,360 |
Outpatient Care Centers | $32.65 | $67,920 |
Offices of Physicians | $32.42 | $67,440 |
Top paying States for dental hygienists:
State | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
District of Columbia | $45.95 | $95,570 |
California | $45.37 | $94,370 |
Washington | $43.93 | $91,370 |
Nevada | $42.94 | $89,320 |
Arizona | $39.45 | $82,050 |
Lowest paying states for dental hygienists:
State | Hourly Mean Wage | Average Salary |
Alabama | 21.19 | 44,070 |
South Carolina | 26.17 | 54,430 |
West Virginia | 26.29 | 54,680 |