Dental hygienists

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

198k

Average Age

42.3

Estimated Job Growth

7.04%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$66,504

Average Male Salary

$139,317

Average Female Salary

$61,892

About

Dental hygienists are most often employed by the Offices of dentists industry. The average yearly wage for Dental hygienists was $66,504 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Dental hygienists are Burlington County (West Central) PUMA, NJ, Outer Manchester City PUMA, NH, and Maricopa County--Gilbert (South) & Queen Creek Towns PUMA, AZ. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Dental hygienists are Escambia County (Southwest) PUMA, FL, Capital Region Planning Commission 2--East Baton Rouge Parish (South) PUMA, LA, and Etowah & Cherokee Counties PUMA, AL.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Dental hygienists workforce. Dental hygienists workforce in 2024 was 198,461 people, of which 94% were women and 5.96% were men.

Dental hygienists are paid most in North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE but are relatively concentrated in Escambia County (Southwest) PUMA, FL.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

11,822

Male Workforce

± 2.67k

186,639

Female Workforce

± 10.6k

The Dental hygienists workforce in 2024 was 198,461 people (94% women and 5.96% men). This implies an average annual growth of 11.2% between 2018 (178,465) and 2024 (198,461).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Dental hygienists.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nebraska ($119,555), Delaware ($102,010), and Nevada ($99,693).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$66,504

AVERAGE WAGE

#220 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Dental hygienists earned an average of $66,504, $3,373 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Dental hygienists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

In 2024, Dental hygienists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.314, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dental hygienists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Dental hygienists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Dental hygienists and on wages for those in the field. Offices of dentists is the industry that employs the most Dental hygienists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dental hygienists, by average wage, is National security & international affairs ($94,410).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

198k

2024 Workforce

± 10,930

2.05%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.67%

This graphic shows the share of Dental hygienists employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dental hygienists at 98.6%, followed by Other health care services with 0.484% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 0.482%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Dental hygienists in the US. The workforce of Dental hygienists in 2024 was 198,461 people, with 94% woman, and 5.96% men. The average age of male Dental hygienists in the workforce is 42.9 and of female Dental hygienists is 42.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dental hygienists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Dental hygienists in 2024 was 198,461 people, with 94% woman, and 5.96% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (30,147 people), 35 to 39 years (27,481 people), and 25 to 29 years (25,506 people). Among them they concentrated 41.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 11.1% of Dental hygienists workers were Hispanic and 88.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (49.5%), Puerto Rican (9.19)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (7.15)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 77.3% of the Dental hygienists workforce were White, of which 95.6% were women and 4.39% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (8.73%) and Asian (5.86%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Dental hygienists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dental hygienists is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Dental hygienists in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (42,539 people), Business (6,632 people), and Biology (6,226 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Dental hygienists workers were Associates Degree (94,360 people), Bachelors Degree (66,844 people), and Some college (16,888 people).

The graphic shows the Dental hygienists workforce by gender and educational level.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Dental Hygienists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Dental Hygienists are expected to see a growth of 7.04% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.04%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Dental hygienists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.