Dental Hygienist Salary in Washington: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
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
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Washington now
DentistryHires has 107 open dental hygienist listings in Washington from 54 employers, the most of them in Seattle (12).
63 post hourly pay, from $48 to $85 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $54,730 to $71,930 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
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.