Dental hygienists

Detailed Occupation

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2023 Workforce
194k
Average Age
42.4
Estimated Job Growth
9.15%
10-year projection
Average Salary
$65,141
Average Male Salary
$133,257
Average Female Salary
$60,984

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Dental hygienists workforce. Dental hygienists workforce in 2023 was 194,482 people, of which 94.2% were women and 5.75% were men. Dental hygienists are paid most in North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE but are relatively concentrated in Escambia County (Southwest) PUMA, FL.

Employment Over Time

Metric
Grouping
11,186
Male Workforce
± 2.6k
183,296
Female Workforce
± 10.5k

The Dental hygienists workforce in 2023 was 194,482 people (94.2% women and 5.75% men). This implies an average annual growth of 8.97% between 2018 (178,465) and 2023 (194,482).

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Employment by Location

Level
Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Dental hygienists.

During 2023, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nebraska ($110,285), Delaware ($104,320), and Nevada ($93,088).

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Yearly Wage Ranking

$65,141
AVERAGE WAGE
#216 in the ranking (2023)
$67,727
NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE
For all occupations across the US

In 2023, Dental hygienists earned an average of $65,141, $2,586 less than the average national salary of $67,727

The graph shows the ranking of Dental hygienists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2023.

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Wage Distribution

Gender
0.312
WAGE GINI

In 2023, Dental hygienists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.312, which is lower than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dental hygienists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Dental hygienists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

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Industry

Information on the industries that employ Dental hygienists and on wages for those in the field. Offices of dentists is the industry that employs the most Dental hygienists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dental hygienists, by average wage, is Other health care services ($89,720).

Occupations by Industries

Metric
Value
194k
2023 Workforce
± 10,820
2.46%
1 YEAR GROWTH
± 7.73%

This graphic shows the share of Dental hygienists employed by various industries. Offices of dentists employs the largest share of Dental hygienists at 98.5%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 0.614% and Other health care services with 0.511%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Dental hygienists in the US. The workforce of Dental hygienists in 2023 was 194,482 people, with 94.2% woman, and 5.75% men. The average age of male Dental hygienists in the workforce is 43 and of female Dental hygienists is 42.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dental hygienists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Dental hygienists in 2023 was 194,482 people, with 94.2% woman, and 5.75% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (29,106 people), 35 to 39 years (26,452  people), and 25 to 29 years (26,203 people). Among them they concentrated 42.1% of the total workforce.

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Ethnicity

Gender

In 2023, 10.6% of Dental hygienists workers were Hispanic and 89.4% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (51.2%), Puerto Rican (9.24)%, and Cuban (7.45)%

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Races

In 2023, 79.7% of the Dental hygienists workforce were White, of which 95.8% were women and 4.22% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (7.18%) and Asian (5.53%).

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Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Dental hygienists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dental hygienists is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2023 were Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.
Type of Majors
Degree

The most common majors achieved by Dental hygienists in 2023 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (41,877 people), Business (6,106 people), and Biology (5,853 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

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Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Dental hygienists workers were Associates Degree (94,104 people), Bachelors Degree (64,381 people), and Some college (17,023 people).

The graphic shows the Dental hygienists workforce by gender and educational level.

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Projections

Projections on job growth for Dental Hygienists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 4.02%, but Dental Hygienists are expected to see a growth of 9.15% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

9.15%
Estimated Job Growth
10-year Projection
4.02%
National Growth
10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Dental hygienists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 4.02%, the average rate of national job growth.

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