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Dental salary calculator

Pick a role, a state and an experience level to see the pay range BLS reports. Switch to Hiring for my practice to see what an offer needs to be to compete.

Quick answer

Nationally, the median dental hygienist earns $47.16/hr ($98,093 a year full time) and the median dental assistant earns $23.11/hr ($48,069), per BLS May 2025 data.

Data updated: May 2025

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Role

State

States with a full BLS percentile breakdown for this role.

Experience

Hours per week

Part-time is common for hygienists. Annual figures use your hours x 52 weeks.

Expected range

$83,574 – $108,493

Dental hygienist, mid career (3–9 years), nationally.

Typical for your level

$98,093

BLS 50th percentile.

National median

$98,093

All dental hygienists in the US.

Half of dental hygienists in the US earn more than $47.16 an hour.

See open dental jobs

National pay at a glance

BLS May 2025. Annual = hourly x 2,080.
Role	Median hourly	Median annual	10th – 90th percentile	Employed
Dental hygienist	$47.16/hr	$98,093	$36.00/hr – $60.60/hr	222,740
Dental assistant	$23.11/hr	$48,069	$17.85/hr – $29.93/hr	387,790
General dentist	$82.19/hr	$170,955	$41.47/hr – $153.67/hr	124,390

By state: dental hygienist salary by state · dental assistant salary by state · associate dentist pay calculator

Method and sources

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 release, occupations 29-1292, 31-9091 and 29-1021. BLS reports hourly percentiles; annual figures are hourly x 2,080 hours, the same conversion BLS uses.

The price-adjusted figure divides pay by the state's Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), where 100 is the national average.

The calculator maps experience to percentile bands: entry level reads the 10th to 25th percentile, mid career the 25th to 75th, senior the 75th to 90th. BLS does not publish pay by years of experience, so treat the bands as a guide, not a quote.

Figures cover wage and salary workers. Self-employed hygienists are not in the survey.

For information only. Not legal, tax or financial advice.

Common questions

What does a dental hygienist make per hour?

The national median is $47.16/hr. The middle half earn $40.18/hr to $52.16/hr (BLS, May 2025).

What does a dental assistant make per hour?

The national median is $23.11/hr. The middle half earn $21.32/hr to $27.93/hr (BLS, May 2025).

Does this include associate dentists?

The dentist figures are BLS "Dentists, General", which counts employed dentists, not practice owners. For what a specific associate offer pays after lab fees and write-offs, use the associate dentist pay calculator.

Why is there no office manager salary?

BLS has no dental-specific office manager category. Its closest group covers office supervisors in every industry, which would mislead more than it helps.