Dental Hygienist Salaries - Career Outlooks And Earnings

Dental Hygienist Salaries - Career Outlooks And Earnings

As with any other job, the choice to pursue becoming a dental hygienist is partially dependent on how much money you will make. After all, you have put a number of years and thousands of dollars in tuition into earning your degree, and you want to know how your investment will pay off. Keep in mind that dental hygienist salaries will depend on your education, certification, level of experience, employer and the location in which you work. For example, you may earn within the bottom 10% of dental hygienists when you first get started because you are considered entry-level and live in an area where the cost of living is less. Keep these factors in mind as you examine nationwide averages.

The median dental hygienist salaries in May 2008 were just under $66,600. Half of all dental hygienists across the country earn somewhere between $55,000 and $79,000. The top 10% earns more than $91,000 per year while the lowest 10% makes $44,000 annually. These figures are according to the findings made by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. You may find that you obtain your dental hygienist salary by being paid hourly, daily, on a commission basis, or in a salary format.

You may also be curious about benefits you could appreciate along with dental hygienist salaries. Based on a survey conducted in 2009 by the American Dental Hygienist Association, about 50% of all dental hygienists enjoy some form of benefits from their employer. These can be found in the form of sick leave, paid vacation, healthcare benefits, and retirement plans. The occupation of dental hygienist ranks among the fastest growing job opportunities in the country. From 2008 to 2018, a growth in demand of 36% is expected. This is huge growth when you consider that the national average of job growth is within the teens.

While opportunities are expected to grow, and job prospects are considered favorable in most areas of the country, there is quite a high level of competition for job placement in some areas. Remember, once you graduate with your dental hygienist degree, you will need to become licensed before you can be employed, and then you can only work in the state in which you are licensed. This means if you earn your education in a state where there are countless dental hygiene programs to choose from, you will find it more difficult to secure dental hygienist salaries because job competition will be fierce.

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