Dental Hygienist Salary in Missouri: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$83,890
Median (50th)
$92,750
75th percentile
$98,240
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Missouri?
The median dental hygienist in Missouri earns $92,750 a year ($44.59 an hour), which is $5,350 below the national median of $98,100, and more than in nearby Nebraska ($92,580) but less than in Oklahoma ($97,580) and Illinois ($96,670). The mean is $88,430.
That ranks 30th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Missouri
The middle half of Missouri dental hygienists earn $83,890 to $98,240. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $59,880, $15,000 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $99,400, $26,650 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Missouri
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Missouri's 2024 price level at 90.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.2% below the national average, and housing (index 69.9) runs 30.1% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $92,750 median is worth about $102,130 — $4,030 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Missouri
BLS counts about 3,810 dental hygienist jobs in Missouri, 1.7% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.297 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold a 9% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.91).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Missouri
Across the 8 Missouri metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $83,270 in Joplin to $97,650 in St. Louis, a spread of $14,380.
All dental roles by metro: Columbia · Jefferson City · Joplin · Kansas City · St. Joseph · St. Louis
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Missouri now
DentistryHires has 85 open dental hygienist listings in Missouri from 35 employers, the most of them in St. Louis (11).
52 post hourly pay, from $30 to $70 an hour; 2 post a salary from $59,607 to $99,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Missouri
Dental hygienist practice in Missouri is regulated by the Missouri Dental Board.
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 Missouri Compares
Oklahoma
$97,580
-1% vs. national
Oklahoma salary →
Illinois
$96,670
-1% vs. national
Illinois salary →
Nebraska
$92,580
-6% vs. national
Nebraska salary →
Arkansas
$86,760
-12% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
Tennessee
$84,640
-14% vs. national
Tennessee salary →
Iowa
$84,010
-14% vs. national
Iowa salary →
Kentucky
$78,830
-20% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Other dental salaries in Missouri
- Dentist salary in Missouri: median $204,960, $112,210 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Missouri: median $45,970, $46,780 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Missouri: median $46,870, $45,880 below the dental hygienist median
- Orthodontist salary in Missouri: median $332,630
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.