Careers & Wages

WAGES & JOB GROWTH

Dental Hygienists must obtain licensure for clinical practice. Contributing factors to dental hygiene salaries include experience, level of responsibility, and practice setting. There is a considerable difference in salary based on geographic regions within the country, and proximity to large metropolitan areas.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational outlook projections for the years 2022-2032 indicate dental hygiene is projected to grow 7 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 16,400 openings for dental hygienists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.  Nationally, the mean hourly wage is $42.08 ( $87,530 in May 2023 ).Utah hourly mean wage $37.94 Wages vary around the country.