Dental Hygienist Salary in Kentucky: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$67,880
Median (50th)
$78,830
75th percentile
$91,800
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Kentucky?
The median dental hygienist in Kentucky earns $78,830 a year ($37.90 an hour), which is $19,270 below the national median of $98,100, but less than in nearby Virginia ($102,950), Illinois ($96,670) and Missouri ($92,750). The mean is $78,950.
That ranks 47th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Kentucky
The middle half of Kentucky dental hygienists earn $67,880 to $91,800. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $61,280, $13,600 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $98,770, $27,280 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Kentucky
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Kentucky's 2024 price level at 90.2 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.8% below the national average, and housing (index 64.3) runs 35.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $78,830 median is worth about $87,430 — $10,670 below the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Kentucky
BLS counts about 2,070 dental hygienist jobs in Kentucky, 0.9% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.036 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold a 28% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.72).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Kentucky
Across the 6 Kentucky metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $64,620 in Elizabethtown to $81,390 in Louisville/Jefferson County, a spread of $16,770.
All dental roles by metro: Lexington · Louisville/Jefferson County
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Kentucky now
DentistryHires has 34 open dental hygienist listings in Kentucky from 20 employers, the most of them in Louisville (7).
19 post hourly pay, from $35 to $62 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $85,000 to $115,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Kentucky
Dental hygienist practice in Kentucky is regulated by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry.
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 Kentucky Compares
Virginia
$102,950
+5% vs. national
Virginia salary →
Illinois
$96,670
-1% vs. national
Illinois salary →
Missouri
$92,750
-5% vs. national
Missouri salary →
Indiana
$92,330
-6% vs. national
Indiana salary →
Ohio
$88,990
-9% vs. national
Ohio salary →
Tennessee
$84,640
-14% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
West Virginia
$73,840
-25% vs. national
West Virginia salary →
Other dental salaries in Kentucky
- Dentist salary in Kentucky: median $134,160, $55,330 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Kentucky: median $47,730, $31,100 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Kentucky: median $46,770, $32,060 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.