Dental Hygienist Salary in Wisconsin: What Dental Hygienists Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$83,880
Median (50th)
$96,540
75th percentile
$100,750
National median
$98,100
BLS OEWS (SOC 29-1292), May 2025
What does a dental hygienist make in Wisconsin?
The median dental hygienist in Wisconsin earns $96,540 a year ($46.41 an hour), which is $1,560 below the national median of $98,100, and more than in nearby Iowa ($84,010) but less than in Minnesota ($103,970) and Illinois ($96,670). The mean is $94,180.
That ranks 26th of the 49 states plus DC where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Wisconsin
The middle half of Wisconsin dental hygienists earn $83,880 to $100,750. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $80,370, $5,490 above the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $110,240, $15,810 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Wisconsin
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Wisconsin's 2024 price level at 94.1 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 5.9% below the national average, and housing (index 79.3) runs 20.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $96,540 median is worth about $102,600 — $4,500 above the national median of $98,100.
How many dental hygienists work in Wisconsin
BLS counts about 5,080 dental hygienist jobs in Wisconsin, 2.3% of the 222,740 nationwide, or 1.727 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental hygienists hold a 21% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.21).
Dental Hygienist Salary by City in Wisconsin
Across the 13 Wisconsin metro areas where BLS publishes a dental hygienist median, pay runs from $86,830 in Eau Claire to $100,340 in Madison, a spread of $13,510.
All dental roles by metro: Appleton · Eau Claire · Green Bay · Janesville · Kenosha · La Crosse · Madison · Milwaukee · Oshkosh · Racine · Wausau
Who's hiring dental hygienists in Wisconsin now
DentistryHires has 117 open dental hygienist listings in Wisconsin from 39 employers, the most of them in Madison (10).
45 post hourly pay, from $37 to $88 an hour; 1 posts a salary from $85,000 to $95,000 a year. These are employers' posted ranges, not survey figures.
Dental Hygienist Regulatory Context in Wisconsin
Dental hygienist practice in Wisconsin is regulated by the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board.
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 Wisconsin Compares
Other dental salaries in Wisconsin
- Dentist salary in Wisconsin: median $193,690, $97,150 above the dental hygienist median
- Dental Assistant salary in Wisconsin: median $47,520, $49,020 below the dental hygienist median
- Dental Lab Technician salary in Wisconsin: median $47,170, $49,370 below the dental hygienist median
- Orthodontist salary in Wisconsin: median $212,860, $116,320 above the dental hygienist median
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.