Dental Hygienist Salary in California: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
Posted pay in California dental hygienist listings
$60.50/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $54–$67/hr, from 58 distinct pay ranges at 44 employers (Pacific Dental Services, Clove Dental, Bay Park Dental Group).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 13, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$109,730
Median (50th)
$124,930
75th percentile
$132,120
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in California?
The median dental hygienist in California earns $124,930 a year ($60.06 an hour), which is $26,830 above the national median of $98,100, and more than in nearby Oregon ($122,080), Nevada ($115,290) and Arizona ($101,010).
The mean is $128,110.
That ranks 4th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in California
The middle half of California dental hygienists earn $109,730 to $132,120.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $102,090, $27,210 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $151,920, $25,870 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in California
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts California's 2024 price level at 110.7 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 10.7% above the national average, and housing (index 154.3) runs 54.3% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $124,930 median is worth about $112,830 — $14,730 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in California
BLS counts about 24,500 dental hygienist jobs in California, 11.0% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.345 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental hygienists hold a 6% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.94).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in California
All dental roles by metro: Fresno · Hanford · Los Angeles · Merced · Modesto · Oxnard · Redding · Riverside · Sacramento · San Francisco · San Jose · Santa Cruz · Stockton · Vallejo · Yuba City
What Dental Hygienist Job Listings in California Show Right Now
From the 170 active dental hygienist listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Pacific Dental Services81
- Smile Brands22
- Clove Dental7
- Mosaic Dental Collective4
- Western Dental / Sonrava Health2
Pay employers post
- 78% of dental hygienist listings in California state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Health insurancenamed in 75%
- Paid time offnamed in 74%
- 401(k) plannamed in 71%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 69%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 66%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 21%
- Flexible schedulingnamed in 7%
Source: active dental hygienist listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 170 jobs →Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in California
Dental hygienist practice in California is regulated by the Dental Board of California.
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 California Compares
Other dental salaries in California
- Dentist salary in California: median $165,950, $41,020 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in California: median $50,110, $74,820 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in California: median $47,410, $77,520 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.