How much money will you make straight out of dental hygienist school? It's question number one for students planning to study hygiene. So let's clear up the picture about dental hygienist salary right now. Statistical data is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009).
Experience and Dental Hygienist Salary
If you are a newcomer in the field, don't expect to get a skyrocketing dental hygienist salary right away. Your earnings will grow together with your experience. At the beginner's stage you can expect that your dental hygienist salary will be about $31,083 to $50,094 per year.
Dental Hygienist Salary: Limits
Top 10% of dental hygienists earn up to $92,860 per year, when the lowest 10% receive $44,900 on average. There are several factors on which dental hygienist salary depends a lot. As was said above, experience is one of those reasons why some professionals earn much more that newcomers. Still, there are some more factors.
- Location
Some states suffer from the lack of specialists, so you can expect that your dental hygienist salary will be higher there. To such states belong Alaska where you can get around $96,280, Washington, with dental hygienist salary of $90,140, California, Nevada, and Oregon.
- Industry
Your dental hygienist salary will also depend on the industry you choose to practice in. Note that top paying industries in dental hygiene are
- dental offices
- physicians' offices
- employment services
- outpatient care centers
- general medical and surgical hospitals
So before making any decisions study the situation on the job market, evaluate dental hygienist salary in different regions and work settings and only then choose the best for you!