Dental Hygienist Salary in California: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
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
Who's hiring dental hygienists in California now
DentistryHires has 236 open dental hygienist listings in California from 103 employers, the most of them in San Diego (17).
186 post hourly pay, from $24 to $110 an hour; 4 post a salary from $53,244 to $87,360 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
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.