Dental Hygienist Salary in Arkansas: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$82,620
Median (50th)
$86,760
75th percentile
$93,600
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Arkansas?
The median dental hygienist in Arkansas earns $86,760 a year ($41.71 an hour), which is $11,340 below the national median of $98,100, but less than in nearby Texas ($99,240), Oklahoma ($97,580) and Missouri ($92,750). The mean is $85,660.
That ranks 39th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Arkansas
The middle half of Arkansas dental hygienists earn $82,620 to $93,600. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $62,170, $12,710 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $97,730, $28,320 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Arkansas
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Arkansas's 2024 price level at 86.9 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 13.1% below the national average, and housing (index 58.2) runs 41.8% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $86,760 median is worth about $99,800 — $1,700 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Arkansas
BLS counts about 1,740 dental hygienist jobs in Arkansas, 0.8% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.332 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold a 7% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.93).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Arkansas
Across the 5 Arkansas metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $82,970 in Hot Springs to $89,160 in Little Rock, a spread of $6,190.
All dental roles by metro: Hot Springs · Jonesboro · Little Rock
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Arkansas now
DentistryHires has 16 open dental hygienist listings in Arkansas from 9 employers, the most of them in Rogers (3).
7 post hourly pay, from $31 to $65 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Arkansas
Dental hygienist practice in Arkansas is regulated by the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners.
Scope of practice — what a dental hygienist may do, and under what level of supervision — is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How Arkansas Compares
Other dental salaries in Arkansas
- Dentist salary in Arkansas: median $178,930, $92,170 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Arkansas: median $42,830, $43,930 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Arkansas: median $49,960, $36,800 below the dental hygienist median
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates, all industries); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Price-adjusted pay divides the median by the price level. Listing counts and posted pay are live DentistryHires listings, refreshed hourly. A dash means BLS did not publish that figure; nothing is estimated.