Are you just starting out as a dental hygienist? As an entry level dental hygienist, you’ll probably want to know what kind of salary you might expect.

There are a few strategies you can use to get an idea of what your starting pay might look like.

For example, let’s start by…

Asking Other Hygienists

Asking other hygienists in your area about their pay will help you understand what to expect. One redditor asked if $60-80k is a realistic starting salary for a dental hygienist out of school. 

The answer from most hygienists was: yes.

Some hygienists discussed sign-on bonuses and salary bonuses as a way to make even more money as a hygienist just starting out.

Many hygienists cited that having an associates and a bachelors degree didn’t make a difference with starting pay, because you still had the same license. If you think that’s not true, let us know in a comment.

A few hygienists also cited that depending on where you work, hygienists can make over six figures, which is probably why many dental assistants become dental hygienists.

Average Hourly Pay for Dental Hygienists

Knowing the national average for dental hygienist hourly pay is a good marker to understand how your pay is in comparison.

$39.14 per hour is the national average for dental hygienists.

This gives us a good marker for comparison. But as you know, pay is dependent on location, so let’s take a look at that next.

Hygienist Starting Pay by Geo

For the list below, we’ve included calculations for the hourly starting pay for hygienists in each state based on the 10th percentile of wages according to the BLS.

You might expect that entry-level hygienists should have salaries that match the lowest percentile. Therefore, this data should provide a reasonable starting pay for a dental hygienist.

Dental Hygienist Starting Pay By State 

	Hourly Rate		Hourly Rate
Alabama	$17.35	Montana	$30.11
Alaska	$37.70	Nebraska	$25.12
Arizona	$33.22	Nevada	$30.61
Arkansas	$16.70	New Hampshire	$33.27
California	$40.70	New Jersey	$35.52
Colorado	$34.88	New Mexico	$17.99
Connecticut	$29.04	New York	$27.56
Delaware	$34.25	North Carolina	$26.91
Florida	$22.16	North Dakota	$28.14
Georgia	$21.49	Ohio	$26.66
Hawaii	$33.54	Oklahoma	$22.13
Idaho	$31.64	Oregon	$34.50
Illinois	$25.02	Pennsylvania	$25.82
Indiana	$21.23	Rhode Island	$32.99
Iowa	$28.60	South Carolina	$22.93
Kansas	$26.60	South Dakota	$24.53
Kentucky	$22.92	Tennessee	$24.34
Louisiana	$19.83	Texas	$28.59
Maine	$27.13	Utah	$27.25
Maryland	$33.25	Vermont	$31.94
Massachusetts	$33.63	Virginia	$26.03
Michigan	$29.59	Washington	$34.65
Minnesota	$31.73	West Virginia	$21.73
Mississippi	$18.29	Wisconsin	$27.34
Missouri	$26.25	Wyoming	$27.59

Worst States for Starting Pay

The 5 worst states for starting pay for hygienists are:

1. Arkansas $16.70
2. Alabama $17.35
3. New Mexico $17.99
4. Mississippi $18.29
5. Louisiana $19.83

Top States for Starting Pay

The top 5 states for starting pay for hygienists are:

1. California $40.70
2. Alaska $37.70
3. New Jersey $35.52
4. Colorado $34.88
5. Washington $34.65 

A Great Strategy for Getting Higher Pay

Almost every hygienist is interested in making more money when they first get started in dental hygiene. One of the top strategies we recommend is temping with us.

Many temp jobs offer more money that regular salaried positions. That’s how one hygienist doubled their salary.

When you temp with Princess, you set your own pay and your own schedule. You keep 100% of your earnings--we don’t take anything off the top of your pay. Employers just pay a low monthly fee to utilize our service to post temp jobs.

Hygienists are in Demand

Some extenuating circumstances can increase your pay as a new hygienist. One of the most prominent ones is that dental hygienists are in high demand. According to some sources, there is a shortage of dental hygienists, making it likely that your starting pay will be higher in areas where there are fewer hygienists filling roles.

What kind of pay did you make starting out?

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