Dental Hygienists Salary: $38,539 Average Pay, California (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 200,000 dental hygienists work nationally, and $38,539 is the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract. Projections imply about 1.6% annual growth.
Dental Hygienists: what the data shows
Common questions about dental hygienists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a dental hygienists?
Dental Hygienists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 200,000 workers.
How much does a dental hygienists make?
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $38,539.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is dental hygienists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 8.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 17.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 200,000.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Dental Hygienists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Dental Hygienists workforce.
Employment Over Time
200,000 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
Employment for Dental Hygienists grew from 74,980 in 2009 to 88,220 in 2019 (17.7%).
Historical employment for Dental Hygienists, 2009–2019 (OEWS).
Yearly Wage Ranking
$38,539 Mean pay (California OEWS)
Dental Hygienists earn $38,539 as the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Dental Hygienists.
Salary distribution for Dental Hygienists.
Employment Growth Projections
1.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
95,692 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 8.5%
103,797 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 17.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Dental Hygienists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Dental Hygienists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Dental Hygienists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Dental Hygienists.
Wage Trends by Industry
Wage trend data by industry is not available for this occupation.
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Dental Hygienists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Dental Hygienists.
Top States by Employment
State-level employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 states by employment for Dental Hygienists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Metropolitan area employment data is not available for this occupation.
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Dental Hygienists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Dental Hygienists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Dental Hygienists is about 200,000 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Dental Hygienists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Dental Hygienists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Dental Hygienists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Dental Hygienists in 2023 were Dental Hygiene, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Dental Hygienists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Dental Hygienists workers.
Education level distribution for Dental Hygienists.
Skills
Dental Hygienists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Dental Hygienists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Dental Hygienists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Dental Hygienists include .
Knowledge areas required for Dental Hygienists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Dental Hygienists include .
Required abilities for Dental Hygienists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Dental Hygienists.
Daily Activities
Dental Hygienists spend their time on activities such as .
Most important work activities for Dental Hygienists.
About
Dental Hygienists
Dental Hygienists earn $38,539 as the mean annual wage in our California OEWS extract.
SOC Code
29-2021 - Dental Hygienists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Dental Hygienists reports an average salary of $38,539.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 200,000 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.