Dental Connections surveys local dental hygienists on an annual basis to produce accurate, comprehensive, and current statistics about their wages and benefits in dental offices. The answers to this survey are completely anonymous and provide the most up to date and accurate statistics available anywhere.
We interact with thousands of workers/dental offices for temporary and permanent placement annually. This gives us a strong understanding of what current compensation packages are before the survey is conducted. The wage data below is consistent with our market knowledge and current job postings on Indeed, Facebook, etc.
This survey combines ALL types of hygienists: traditional, accelerated, restorative, part-time, full-time, experienced, new grads, etc. Accelerated and restorative hygienists typically make more than traditional hygienists. Full-time workers receive better benefits than part-time workers. Take this into account while analyzing the statistics.
North King and Snohomish Counties had the largest annual increase in hourly wages at nearly 10%. The other major counties are still seeing significant hourly wage increases but % increases decelerated some compared to North King and Snohomish.
Traditional hygiene is still overwhelmingly the most common job role. The average respondent has been with their current office for 4.89 years which is almost a year more than last year’s survey.
Before determining whether an hourly rate is fair, consider all important factors: location, hygiene role performed, experience level, type of practice, and benefits (which can add approximately $5-$20/hour to the compensation package). Lastly, being satisfied in your job or with a loyal employee on a daily basis is always worth way more than a couple dollars an hour.
