Dental Hygienist Salary in Tennessee: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
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
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Tennessee now
DentistryHires has 60 open dental hygienist listings in Tennessee from 31 employers, the most of them in Murfreesboro (9).
42 post hourly pay, from $22 to $62 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $101,920 to $112,320 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
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.