welcome to the
2026 Dental Hygiene Salary Survey
Know the market.
Earn your worth.
Nearly half of hygienists aren’t sure they’re paid fairly. Take the survey and get a free personalized pay report for your area.
It’s free, it takes less than 10 minutes, and it’s confidential. Your employer never sees your answers.
Open to licensed dental hygienists.
The survey is open through January 7. Reports go out by February 12.
What hygienists told us
Pay isn’t always as clear as it should be.
Years of experience made little difference in pay. Many hygienists told us new grads earn about the same as veterans.
45%
aren’t sure they’re paid fairly. 30% said no and 15% didn’t know.
0
hygienists who took on extra duties, like lead hygienist or OSHA coordination, reported a pay adjustment for them.
1 in 5
bonus-eligible hygienists don’t know how their bonus is calculated.
More than 840 hygienists in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nevada have shared their pay with Pay Insights.
Source: Pay Insights 2024 Iowa Dental Hygiene Industry Insights report, 269 Iowa hygienists.
Your free personalized report
Ten minutes in. Your pay picture back.
Every participant gets a free report comparing their pay and benefits to hygienists in their state and region.
See your value
Compare your hourly pay, raises and benefits to hygienists near you, so you know whether you’re being paid fairly for your skills.
Have a confident conversation
Walk into your next review or job offer with local numbers, not guesses.
Find what matters most
See how your benefits, raises and bonus stack up, so you can focus on what would make the biggest difference for you.
How it works
Simple from start to finish.
Most hygienists finish in less than 10 minutes. Here’s what to expect.
1. Take the survey
Less than 10 minutes, on your phone or computer.
2. We verify and combine responses
Pay Insights checks every response and combines them.
No individual is ever identified.
3. Get your report
Personalized reports go out by email by February 12.
Before you start, have these handy:
- Your current hourly rate, or salary if you’re salaried
- When you got your last raise and roughly how much
- Your bonus details, if you get one
- The benefits your employer offers
Supported by
Supported by hygiene leaders in your state.
Thank you to the associations helping hygienists get clear, local pay data.
The survey
Ready? Let’s get started.
Takes less than 10 minutes. Open through January 7. Your progress saves as you go.
Licensed dental hygienists, with a focus on clinical hygiene work. Results are broken out by state and region.
No. Your individual answers are never shared with your employer, your association or anyone else. Results are only reported in combined form.
To confirm each response comes from a real hygienist, remove duplicates and send your personalized report. Your name and email are never published or shared.
No. We never ask for your employer’s name.
Less than 10 minutes. Your progress saves as you go.
Yes. Taking the survey and receiving your personalized report are both free.
The survey closes January 7, and reports go out by email by February 12.
Answer for your main job. You can add pay details for a second, part-time or temporary job at the end.
Yes. Pay changes every year, and this year’s report reflects this year’s answers.
Pay Insights is an independent compensation firm founded by Garrett Wilson, an HR leader with 18 years of experience. Our goal is to be the most trusted source of compensation information in the dental industry.
No. Your report is free with no strings attached. Employers can buy combined market reports from Pay Insights, but they never see individual answers.
Your pay deserves real numbers.
Ten minutes helps every hygienist in your state know their worth, including you.
Your answers are confidential. Pay Insights reports only combined results and never shares individual responses. Read our privacy policy.