Healthcare · 24 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Dental Hygienist (2024)

The median Dental Hygienist salary is $135,010 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Houston, TX offers the best purchasing power at $106,788 adjusted.

$101,727

National Median

$135,010

Highest City

$78,170

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$135,010	$132,760 – $159,730	195.8	$68,953	1,560
2	Seattle, WA	$131,890	$121,480 – $161,800	149.4	$88,280	2,700
3	San Diego, CA	$120,300	$107,050 – $129,700	160.2	$75,094	2,000
4	Portland, OR	$118,950	$102,280 – $129,010	130.1	$91,430	2,170
5	Washington, DC	$109,020	$97,860 – $127,250	152.8	$71,348	2,510
6	Denver, CO	$107,870	$63,280 – $125,910	112.8	$95,629	2,400
7	Los Angeles, CA	$106,480	$43,750 – $125,950	166	$64,145	8,100
8	New York, NY	$103,640	$75,490 – $123,000	187.2	$55,363	10,240
9	Houston, TX	$103,050	$86,550 – $110,560	96.5	$106,788	3,900
10	Boston, MA	$102,060	$96,830 – $114,400	152.1	$67,101	5,080
11	Philadelphia, PA	$100,970	$83,950 – $102,970	118.4	$85,279	4,300
12	Austin, TX	$100,880	$85,950 – $101,820	103	$97,942	1,090
13	Minneapolis, MN	$100,560	$80,020 – $114,400	106.2	$94,689	3,030
14	Chicago, IL	$98,030	$62,440 – $100,050	107.3	$91,361	6,420
15	Phoenix, AZ	$97,920	$92,210 – $107,610	100.7	$97,239	3,650
16	Atlanta, GA	$97,710	$78,420 – $105,070	99.2	$98,498	4,760
17	Raleigh, NC	$96,850	$78,290 – $100,300	99.8	$97,044	1,070
18	Charlotte, NC	$93,620	$84,600 – $98,750	96.7	$96,815	1,780
19	Nashville, TN	$92,160	$74,780 – $97,470	100.3	$91,884	1,540
20	Dallas, TX	$90,690	$37,680 – $117,770	104.1	$87,118	6,230
21	Tampa, FL	$90,490	$78,840 – $96,110	99.6	$90,853	2,410
22	Salt Lake City, UT	$83,580	$77,640 – $100,120	101.4	$82,426	1,540
23	Detroit, MI	$81,540	$75,990 – $92,870	95.1	$85,741	3,440
24	Miami, FL	$78,170	$73,620 – $99,200	123.1	$63,501	4,620

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Dental Hygienist paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Houston, TX	$106,788	$103,050	96.5
2	Atlanta, GA	$98,498	$97,710	99.2
3	Austin, TX	$97,942	$100,880	103
4	Phoenix, AZ	$97,239	$97,920	100.7
5	Raleigh, NC	$97,044	$96,850	99.8
6	Charlotte, NC	$96,815	$93,620	96.7
7	Denver, CO	$95,629	$107,870	112.8
8	Minneapolis, MN	$94,689	$100,560	106.2
9	Nashville, TN	$91,884	$92,160	100.3
10	Portland, OR	$91,430	$118,950	130.1
11	Chicago, IL	$91,361	$98,030	107.3
12	Tampa, FL	$90,853	$90,490	99.6
13	Seattle, WA	$88,280	$131,890	149.4
14	Dallas, TX	$87,118	$90,690	104.1
15	Detroit, MI	$85,741	$81,540	95.1
16	Philadelphia, PA	$85,279	$100,970	118.4
17	Salt Lake City, UT	$82,426	$83,580	101.4
18	San Diego, CA	$75,094	$120,300	160.2
19	Washington, DC	$71,348	$109,020	152.8
20	San Jose, CA	$68,953	$135,010	195.8
21	Boston, MA	$67,101	$102,060	152.1
22	Los Angeles, CA	$64,145	$106,480	166
23	Miami, FL	$63,501	$78,170	123.1
24	New York, NY	$55,363	$103,640	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Dental Hygienist salary at $135,010. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Houston, TX offers the most purchasing power at $106,788 adjusted.

The national median Dental Hygienist salary is $101,727 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $78,170 to $135,010 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.