Dental Hygienist Salary in Tennessee: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Tennessee dental hygienist listings
$44/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $40–$47.50/hr, from 30 distinct pay ranges at 26 employers (Pacific Dental Services, Heartland Dental, Morton Dental Group).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 14, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$80,380
Median (50th)
$84,640
75th percentile
$94,240
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Tennessee?
The median dental hygienist in Tennessee earns $84,640 a year ($40.69 an hour), which is $13,460 below the national median of $98,100, but less than in nearby Virginia ($102,950), North Carolina ($97,850) and Georgia ($95,490).
The mean is $87,420.
That ranks 42nd of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Tennessee
The middle half of Tennessee dental hygienists earn $80,380 to $94,240.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $76,190, $1,310 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $98,300, $27,750 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Tennessee
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Tennessee's 2024 price level at 91.9 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 8.1% below the national average, and housing (index 79.1) runs 20.9% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $84,640 median is worth about $92,130 — $5,970 below the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Tennessee
BLS counts about 4,570 dental hygienist jobs in Tennessee, 2.1% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.395 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental hygienists hold a 3% smaller share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 0.97).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Tennessee
Across the 10 Tennessee metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $78,580 in Memphis to $94,030 in Nashville, a spread of $15,450.
All dental roles by metro: Chattanooga · Johnson City · Kingsport · Knoxville · Memphis · Nashville
What Dental Hygienist Job Listings in Tennessee Show Right Now
From the 64 active dental hygienist listings on DentistryHires as of November 14, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
- Pacific Dental Services16
- Heartland Dental8
- Morton Dental Group2
- Smile Brands2
Pay employers post
- Median $44.50 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $42–$50.50 (49 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 78% of dental hygienist listings in Tennessee state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 86%
- 401(k) plannamed in 64%
- Health insurancenamed in 64%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 53%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 50%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 28%
- Flexible schedulingnamed in 9%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 8%
Source: active dental hygienist listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
Browse 64 jobs →Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Tennessee
Dental hygienist practice in Tennessee is regulated by the Tennessee 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 Tennessee Compares
Virginia
$102,950
+5% vs. national
Virginia salary →
North Carolina
$97,850
0% vs. national
North Carolina salary →
Georgia
$95,490
-3% vs. national
Georgia salary →
Missouri
$92,750
-5% vs. national
Missouri salary →
Arkansas
$86,760
-12% vs. national
Arkansas salary →
Kentucky
$78,830
-20% vs. national
Kentucky salary →
Mississippi
$67,280
-31% vs. national
Mississippi salary →
Alabama
$61,160
-38% vs. national
Alabama salary →
Other dental salaries in Tennessee
- Dentist salary in Tennessee: median $215,290, $130,650 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Tennessee: median $46,720, $37,920 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Tennessee: median $48,880, $35,760 below the dental hygienist median
- Orthodontist salary in Tennessee: median $339,610
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.