Dental Hygienist Salary in Pennsylvania: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$75,620
Median (50th)
$80,610
75th percentile
$99,950
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Pennsylvania?
The median dental hygienist in Pennsylvania earns $80,610 a year ($38.76 an hour), which is $17,490 below the national median of $98,100, but less than in nearby Maryland ($107,830), New Jersey ($107,040) and New York ($106,130). The mean is $84,260.
That ranks 46th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Pennsylvania
The middle half of Pennsylvania dental hygienists earn $75,620 to $99,950. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $63,130, $11,750 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $103,540, $22,510 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Pennsylvania
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Pennsylvania's 2024 price level at 97.6 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 2.4% below the national average, and housing (index 85.1) runs 14.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $80,610 median is worth about $82,620 — $15,480 below the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Pennsylvania
BLS counts about 7,970 dental hygienist jobs in Pennsylvania, 3.6% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.314 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold an 8% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.92).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Pennsylvania
Across the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $70,730 in Scranton to $100,820 in Philadelphia, a spread of $30,090.
All dental roles by metro: Allentown · Altoona · Chambersburg · Erie · Harrisburg · Johnstown · Philadelphia · Pittsburgh · Reading · State College · Williamsport · York
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Pennsylvania now
DentistryHires has 121 open dental hygienist listings in Pennsylvania from 69 employers, the most of them in Pittsburgh (10).
81 post hourly pay, from $25 to $68 an hour; 6 post a salary from $51,481 to $130,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Pennsylvania
Dental hygienist practice in Pennsylvania is regulated by the Pennsylvania State 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 Pennsylvania Compares
Other dental salaries in Pennsylvania
- Dentist salary in Pennsylvania: median $163,390, $82,780 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Pennsylvania: median $47,930, $32,680 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Pennsylvania: median $49,280, $31,330 below the dental hygienist median
- Orthodontist salary in Pennsylvania: median $311,180
- Oral Surgeon salary in Pennsylvania: median $553,740
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.