Healthcare Practitioners

Dental Hygienists

SOC 29-1292

Clean teeth, take X-rays, and screen for oral disease alongside dentists.

The job

Median pay

$98k

$84k to $108k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+8.0% projected

Openings a year

15k

BLS projection

Typical education

Associate's plus license

Our model

AI displacement risk

Moderate

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

28/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

70th pct

More exposed than 70% of occupations · modeled estimate · 15th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

66/100

Take the next step

Weigh it against DentistsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostWashington DC leads at $137k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Dental Hygienists and explore its neighbours See open jobsDental Hygienists roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Dental Hygienists, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsWhat Dental Hygienists say they actually earn

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Writing
Monitoring
Reading Comprehension

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	24,500	1.3	0.9×	$125k
Texas	16,380	1.2	0.8×	$99k
New York	13,660	1.4	1.0×	$106k
Florida	11,980	1.2	0.8×	$92k
Illinois	8,970	1.5	1.0×	$97k
Michigan	8,640	2.0	1.4×	$84k
Ohio	8,630	1.6	1.1×	$89k
Pennsylvania	7,970	1.3	0.9×	$81k
Georgia	7,440	1.5	1.1×	$95k
New Jersey	7,230	1.7	1.2×	$107k

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Massachusetts	6,850	1.9	1.3×	$101k
North Carolina	6,690	1.4	0.9×	$98k
Washington	6,330	1.8	1.2×	$131k
Wisconsin	5,080	1.7	1.2×	$97k
Indiana	5,020	1.6	1.1×	$92k
Tennessee	4,570	1.4	1.0×	$85k
Arizona	4,530	1.4	1.0×	$101k
Colorado	4,270	1.5	1.0×	$110k
Minnesota	4,110	1.4	1.0×	$104k
Missouri	3,810	1.3	0.9×	$93k
Utah	3,780	2.2	1.5×	$91k
Virginia	3,770	0.9	0.6×	$103k
Oregon	3,600	1.8	1.3×	$122k
Maryland	3,500	1.3	0.9×	$108k
Connecticut	3,240	1.9	1.3×	$101k
Alabama	3,170	1.5	1.1×	$61k
South Carolina	3,160	1.4	1.0×	$84k
Oklahoma	2,860	1.7	1.2×	$98k
Louisiana	2,690	1.4	1.0×	$85k
Iowa	2,440	1.6	1.1×	$84k
Kansas	2,210	1.5	1.1×	$89k~
Kentucky	2,070	1.0	0.7×	$79k
Idaho	2,060	2.4	1.7×	$95k
Arkansas	1,740	1.3	0.9×	$87k
Nevada	1,510	1.0	0.7×	$115k
New Mexico	1,420	1.6	1.1×	$96k
New Hampshire	1,360	2.0	1.4×	$101k
Nebraska	1,280	1.2	0.9×	$93k
West Virginia	1,250	1.8	1.2×	$74k
Mississippi	1,140	1.0	0.7×	$67k
Maine	1,060	1.7	1.2×	$98k
Montana	860	1.7	1.2×	$98k
Hawaii	830	1.3	0.9×	$98k
Alaska	790	2.4	1.7×	$133k
Rhode Island	770	1.5	1.1×	$87k
Delaware	750	1.5	1.1×	$99k
North Dakota	660	1.5	1.1×	$91k
South Dakota	630	1.4	1.0×	$92k
Vermont	560	1.8	1.3×	$97k
Wyoming	500	1.8	1.2×	$85k
Washington DC	320	0.5	0.3×	$137k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ14,230 jobs · $110k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA7,940 jobs · $123k median
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX7,050 jobs · $102k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN6,470 jobs · $100k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH5,150 jobs · $102k median
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA4,710 jobs · $100k median
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD4,180 jobs · $101k median
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI3,780 jobs · $84k median

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.