Median pay for dental hygienists runs from $55,840 in Gadsden to $146,760 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont — a 2.63× range across 508 metropolitan areas. The national median of $98,100 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
From $74,880 at the 10th percentile to $126,050 at the 90th is only 1.68×, which is narrow. Pay for dental hygienists is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
5 of the ten best-paying metros for dental hygienists are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $146,760 | $70.56 | 1.11 | 3,780 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $139,990 | $67.30 | 0.99 | 1,620 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $136,210 | $65.49 | 1.05 | 310 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $135,990 | $65.38 | 0.89 | 260 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $133,740 | $64.30 | 1.17 | 3,500 |
| Anchorage AK | $132,740 | $63.82 | 1.93 | 490 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $132,690 | $63.79 | 1.46 | 230 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $131,860 | $63.40 | 1.41 | 70 |
| Napa CA | $131,370 | $63.16 | 0.94 | 100 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $131,040 | $63.00 | 1.43 | 190 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $130,600 | $62.79 | 1.59 | 220 |
| Boulder CO | $130,000 | $62.50 | 1.09 | 300 |
| Vallejo CA | $128,570 | $61.81 | 1.32 | 270 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $127,470 | $61.28 | 1.68 | 130 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $126,850 | $60.99 | 0.88 | 140 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $126,530 | $60.83 | 1.07 | 500 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $126,400 | $60.77 | 1.13 | 170 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $126,300 | $60.72 | 1.07 | 100 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $125,670 | $60.42 | 1.29 | 220 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $125,130 | $60.16 | 1.17 | 480 |
| Bellingham WA | $124,850 | $60.02 | 1.15 | 150 |
| Yuba City CA | $124,780 | $59.99 | 0.86 | 60 |
| Modesto CA | $123,910 | $59.57 | 1.4 | 390 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $123,790 | $59.52 | 0.88 | 1,940 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $123,520 | $59.38 | 1.06 | 160 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden AL | $55,840 | $26.85 | 1.17 | 60 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $56,070 | $26.96 | 0.9 | 80 |
| Anniston-Oxford AL | $56,950 | $27.38 | 1.1 | 70 |
| Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $57,240 | $27.52 | 0.67 | 80 |
| Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $57,440 | $27.61 | 0.81 | 80 |
| Dothan AL | $58,310 | $28.04 | 1.13 | 100 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals AL | $58,660 | $28.20 | 1.05 | 80 |
| Montgomery AL | $60,120 | $28.91 | 0.81 | 190 |
| Auburn-Opelika AL | $60,490 | $29.08 | 0.86 | 90 |
| Tuscaloosa AL | $60,500 | $29.09 | 0.82 | 130 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | $102,790 | $49.42 | 3.12 | 250 |
| Flint MI | $81,500 | $39.18 | 2.26 | 440 |
| Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area | $76,460 | $36.76 | 2.23 | 370 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $92,000 | $44.23 | 2.13 | 930 |
| Midland MI | $82,160 | $39.50 | 2.12 | 110 |
| Springfield IL | $83,070 | $39.94 | 1.97 | 280 |
| Pocatello ID | $93,060 | $44.74 | 1.95 | 110 |
| Anchorage AK | $132,740 | $63.82 | 1.93 | 490 |
| Bay City MI | $79,920 | $38.42 | 1.93 | 90 |
| Traverse City MI | $81,570 | $39.22 | 1.92 | 190 |
| Ogden UT | $85,330 | $41.03 | 1.92 | 740 |
| Rockford IL | $86,120 | $41.40 | 1.89 | 370 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $109,720 | $52.75 | 1.05 | 14,230 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $122,980 | $59.12 | 0.88 | 7,940 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $101,870 | $48.98 | 1.21 | 7,050 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $100,260 | $48.20 | 1 | 6,470 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $101,990 | $49.03 | 1.33 | 5,150 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $100,370 | $48.26 | 1.14 | 4,710 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $100,820 | $48.47 | 1.01 | 4,180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $146,760 | $70.56 | 1.11 | 3,780 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $84,480 | $40.61 | 1.39 | 3,780 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $133,740 | $64.30 | 1.17 | 3,500 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $82,780 | $39.80 | 0.86 | 3,460 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $102,520 | $49.29 | 0.95 | 3,240 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-1292. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 508 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.