HIGHBusinessTier 1
Median pay for dental hygienists hits $98K
SourceBecker's Dental + DSO ReviewTier 1Hard News
By Cameron Cortigiano
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
New Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveals the national median annual wage for dental hygienists has reached $98,000, with median pay exceeding $100,000 in 16 states.
Key points
- Hygienist payroll is now the largest variable expense for many practices; owners must recalculate production-per-hygienist benchmarks to maintain margins.
- States with median pay above $100K (including DC) may see accelerated hygienist migration, complicating recruitment for practices in lower-wage regions.
- Higher wages intensify pressure to improve scheduling efficiency and hygiene-department utilization to offset added labor costs.
- DSOs and group practices can leverage multi-state pay data when modeling hygienist staffing strategies and negotiating employment contracts.
Who should care
OwnerDSOStaff
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
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