Dental Hygienist Salary in Washington: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
Posted pay in Washington dental hygienist listings
$60.50/hrmedian
The middle half of posted pay runs $56–$72/hr, from 30 distinct pay ranges at 26 employers (Pacific Dental Services, GPS Dental, Central Washington Pediatric Dentistry).
From DentistryHires' live job listings as of November 12, 2026. See the listings
25th percentile
$122,000
Median (50th)
$131,160
75th percentile
$134,670
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Washington?
The median dental hygienist in Washington earns $131,160 a year ($63.06 an hour), which is $33,060 above the national median of $98,100, and more than in nearby Oregon ($122,080) and Idaho ($94,650).
The mean is $131,530.
That ranks 3rd of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Washington
The middle half of Washington dental hygienists earn $122,000 to $134,670.
The lowest-paid tenth earn under $107,090, $32,210 above the national 10th percentile.
The top tenth earn over $162,050, $36,000 above the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Washington
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Washington's 2024 price level at 107.0 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 7.0% above the national average, and housing (index 126.0) runs 26.0% above.
Converted to national average prices, the $131,160 median is worth about $122,560 — $24,460 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Washington
BLS counts about 6,330 dental hygienist jobs in Washington, 2.8% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.782 per 1,000 jobs in the state.
Dental hygienists hold a 24% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.24).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Washington
Across the 11 Washington metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $106,680 in Walla Walla to $133,740 in Seattle, a spread of $27,060.
All dental roles by metro: Bremerton · Kennewick · Longview · Mount Vernon · Olympia · Seattle · Spokane
What Dental Hygienist Job Listings in Washington Show Right Now
From the 76 active dental hygienist listings on DentistryHires as of November 12, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
Pay employers post
- Median $60.50 an hour; the middle half of posted pay runs $58–$71.50 (47 listings that state an hourly rate)
- 63% of dental hygienist listings in Washington state any pay at all.
Benefits listings name
- Paid time offnamed in 80%
- Health insurancenamed in 75%
- 401(k) plannamed in 63%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 61%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 59%
- Flexible schedulingnamed in 33%
- Employee discounts or free dental carenamed in 28%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 25%
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 76 jobs →Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Washington
Dental hygienist practice in Washington is regulated by the Dental Quality Assurance Commission.
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 Washington Compares
Other dental salaries in Washington
- Dentist salary in Washington: median $169,730, $38,570 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Washington: median $58,090, $73,070 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Washington: median $56,400, $74,760 below the dental hygienist median
- Orthodontist salary in Washington: median $290,430
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.