Dental Hygienist Salary in Nebraska: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$85,140
Median (50th)
$92,580
75th percentile
$96,210
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Nebraska?
The median dental hygienist in Nebraska earns $92,580 a year ($44.51 an hour), which is $5,520 below the national median of $98,100, and more than in nearby South Dakota ($92,210) but less than in Colorado ($109,580) and Missouri ($92,750). The mean is $88,990.
That ranks 31st of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Nebraska
The middle half of Nebraska dental hygienists earn $85,140 to $96,210. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $67,600, $7,280 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $98,080, $27,970 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Nebraska
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Nebraska's 2024 price level at 90.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 9.9% below the national average, and housing (index 75.2) runs 24.8% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $92,580 median is worth about $102,750 — $4,650 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Nebraska
BLS counts about 1,280 dental hygienist jobs in Nebraska, 0.6% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.254 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold a 12% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.88).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Nebraska
Across the 3 Nebraska metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $85,660 in Grand Island to $95,100 in Lincoln, a spread of $9,440.
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Nebraska now
DentistryHires has 17 open dental hygienist listings in Nebraska from 10 employers, the most of them in Lincoln (5).
12 post hourly pay, from $40 to $60 an hour. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Nebraska
Dental hygienist practice in Nebraska is regulated by the Nebraska 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 Nebraska Compares
Other dental salaries in Nebraska
- Dentist salary in Nebraska: median $179,750, $87,170 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Nebraska: median $46,660, $45,920 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Nebraska: median $58,590, $33,990 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.