Which state pays dental hygiene and assisting associate's graduates the most?

California, where the median program pays its graduates $70,807 in their first year, the highest of 11 state rankings. Arizona is next, at $62,481.

Which dental hygiene and assisting associate's program pays the most?

Chabot College in California reports the highest first-year pay of the 178 programs ranked here, $85,175.

How much debt do dental hygiene and assisting associate's graduates have?

The median program leaves its graduates with $18,589 in federal debt. Across programs, the median debt is 36% of first-year pay.

Highest-Paying Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Associate's) Programs in the US

180 programs report first-year pay
11 state rankings
Associate's in Dental Support Services and Allied Professions

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

The median dental hygiene and assisting associate's program in the US pays its graduates $54,567 in their first year and $56,201 five years after. California has the highest state median ($70,807), and Tennessee the lowest ($40,227). The median program leaves its graduates with $18,589 in federal debt.

Median first-year pay$54,567Across 180 programs

Median pay after 5 years$56,201Across 205 programs

Median federal debt$18,589Across 142 programs

Debt-to-earnings36%Across 133 programs

All 178 programs, ranked by graduate pay

Each program is ranked by the median pay of its graduates one year after they finished, from College Scorecard. This measures what graduates earn, not how good the teaching is. Pay also depends on where graduates live and work. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	School	Year 1 pay	After cost of living	Year 5 pay	Debt	Debt to pay
1	Chabot CollegeHayward, CA · public	$85,175	$76,928	$80,515	Not reported	Not reported
2	Shoreline CollegeShoreline, WA · public	$78,372	$73,236	$81,922	$27,250	35%
3	Community College of DenverDenver, CO · public	$76,712	$74,440	$66,188	$29,472	38%
4	Concorde Career College-San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · private for-profit	$73,660	$66,528	$65,752	$26,125	35%
5	Concorde Career College-Garden GroveGarden Grove, CA · private for-profit	$72,160	$65,173	$76,980	$29,176	40%
6	Pima Medical Institute-TucsonTucson, AZ · private for-profit	$71,216	$70,737	$73,786	$32,500	46%
7	Concorde Career College-San DiegoSan Diego, CA · private for-profit	$70,807	$63,951	$70,328	$26,125	37%
8	Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale, VA · public	$70,727	$69,955	$81,348	$20,894	30%
9	Carrington College-SacramentoSacramento, CA · private for-profit	$70,541	$63,711	$70,000	$32,350	46%
10	Rose State CollegeMidwest City, OK · public	$70,427	$80,174	$66,301	$22,500	32%
11	Fortis Institute-WayneWayne, NJ · private for-profit	$70,276	$64,589	$88,828	$32,500	46%
12	NHTI-Concord's Community CollegeConcord, NH · public	$69,546	$66,765	$66,162	$22,550	32%
13	Mount Wachusett Community CollegeGardner, MA · public	$68,670	Not adjusted	$60,911	Not reported	Not reported
14	San Joaquin Valley College-VisaliaVisalia, CA · private for-profit	$67,916	$61,340	$64,864	$20,000	29%
15	Southwestern College (California)Chula Vista, CA · public	$67,733	Not adjusted	Not reported	$10,500	16%
16	Mohave Community CollegeKingman, AZ · public	$66,796	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
17	Quinsigamond Community CollegeWorcester, MA · public	$66,252	$62,645	$67,077	$24,000	36%
18	Concorde Career College-AuroraAurora, CO · private for-profit	$65,693	$63,747	$69,174	$25,250	38%
19	Tarrant County College DistrictFort Worth, TX · public	$65,537	$67,524	$60,094	Not reported	Not reported
20	Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukee, WI · public	$65,196	$69,287	$54,989	$25,034	38%
21	Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil Bluffs, IA · public	$64,917	Not adjusted	$61,981	$26,481	41%
22	Orange County Community CollegeMiddletown, NY · public	$64,661	$59,915	$59,353	Not reported	Not reported
23	Carrington College-Phoenix NorthPhoenix, AZ · private for-profit	$64,434	$64,001	$64,122	$27,688	43%
24	Concorde Career College-Kansas CityKansas City, MO · private for-profit	$64,381	$70,891	$63,177	$26,548	41%
25	Palm Beach State CollegeLake Worth, FL · public	$63,723	$61,619	$73,447	Not reported	Not reported
26	Fortis College-CentervilleCenterville, OH · private for-profit	$63,653	$68,611	$55,260	$44,682	70%
27	Daytona State CollegeDaytona Beach, FL · public	$63,591	$61,492	$59,440	Not reported	Not reported
28	Waukesha County Technical CollegePewaukee, WI · public	$63,360	$67,336	$61,400	$21,000	33%
29	Tulsa Community CollegeTulsa, OK · public	$63,224	$71,974	$68,240	$18,500	29%
30	College of Lake CountyGrayslake, IL · public	$63,080	$63,107	$63,989	$13,000	21%
31	Normandale Community CollegeBloomington, MN · public	$62,751	$63,628	$50,282	$31,000	49%
32	Hillsborough CollegeTampa, FL · public	$62,731	$60,660	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
33	Bergen Community CollegeParamus, NJ · public	$62,663	$57,592	$63,760	$22,382	36%
34	Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ · public	$62,481	$62,061	$64,067	$10,000	16%
35	Hostos Community CollegeBronx, NY · public	$62,426	$57,844	$56,946	$14,400	23%
36	Community College of Baltimore CountyBaltimore, MD · public	$62,255	Not adjusted	$65,796	Not reported	Not reported
37	Northern Wyoming Community College DistrictSheridan, WY · public	$62,229	Not adjusted	$60,444	$19,500	31%
38	Colorado Northwestern Community CollegeRangely, CO · public	$62,148	$60,307	$60,198	$16,784	27%
39	St Petersburg CollegeSt. Petersburg, FL · public	$62,093	$60,043	$62,626	$26,556	43%
40	Virginia Western Community CollegeRoanoke, VA · public	$61,030	$60,364	$65,927	$11,500	19%
41	Carrington College-BoiseBoise, ID · private for-profit	$60,958	$63,834	$61,600	$31,341	51%
42	Saint Louis Community CollegeBridgeton, MO · public	$60,906	$67,065	$57,906	Not reported	Not reported
43	Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX · public	$60,475	$62,309	$71,414	Not reported	Not reported
44	Central Carolina Community CollegeSanford, NC · public	$60,458	$64,095	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
45	Hagerstown Community CollegeHagerstown, MD · public	$60,419	$57,564	Not reported	$16,000	26%
46	SUNY Broome Community CollegeBinghamton, NY · public	$60,032	$55,626	$52,860	$18,876	31%
47	Delaware Technical Community College-TerryDover, DE · public	$59,975	$60,090	$70,662	$10,562	18%
48	Iowa Central Community CollegeFort Dodge, IA · public	$59,746	$68,077	$59,924	$18,500	31%
49	Rock Valley CollegeRockford, IL · public	$59,574	$59,599	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
50	Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown, NC · public	$59,473	$63,050	$59,379	$13,212	22%
51	Middlesex CollegeEdison, NJ · public	$59,451	$54,640	$69,798	$11,250	19%
52	Missouri Southern StateJoplin, MO · public	$59,420	Not adjusted	$61,244	$25,374	43%
53	Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonville, FL · public	$59,330	$57,371	$63,386	Not reported	Not reported
54	College of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IL · public	$59,215	$59,240	Not reported	$19,871	34%
55	Madison Area Technical CollegeMadison, WI · public	$59,139	$62,850	Not reported	$19,000	32%
56	Community College of Rhode IslandWarwick, RI · public	$58,860	$57,548	$55,515	$19,786	34%
57	Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL · public	$58,853	$58,878	$40,788	$13,625	23%
58	Temple CollegeTemple, TX · public	$58,710	Not adjusted	$66,874	Not reported	Not reported
59	Portland Community CollegePortland, OR · public	$58,410	Not adjusted	$48,451	$19,000	33%
60	Goodwin UniversityEast Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	$58,397	$56,362	Not reported	$33,500	57%
61	Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI · public	$58,211	$61,864	$46,354	Not reported	Not reported
62	Johnson County Community CollegeOverland Park, KS · public	$57,969	Not adjusted	$61,803	Not reported	Not reported
63	Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwa, IA · public	$57,921	$65,998	Not reported	$18,002	31%
64	Plaza CollegeForest Hills, NY · private for-profit	$57,819	$53,575	Not reported	$25,250	44%
65	Fox CollegeTinley Park, IL · private for-profit	$57,717	$57,741	Not reported	$20,000	35%
66	Valencia CollegeOrlando, FL · public	$57,535	$55,636	$57,856	Not reported	Not reported
67	University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public	$57,217	$61,674	$58,890	$19,309	34%
68	Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · public	$57,077	$52,888	$62,672	$20,718	36%
69	NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	$57,035	$52,849	$62,688	$21,241	37%
70	Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbourne, FL · public	$57,021	$55,139	$42,758	Not reported	Not reported
71	Springfield Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MA · public	$56,883	$53,787	$63,213	$11,372	20%
72	Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire, WI · public	$56,841	$60,408	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
73	Midlands Technical CollegeWest Columbia, SC · public	$56,771	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
74	William Rainey Harper CollegePalatine, IL · public	$56,767	$56,791	$59,677	Not reported	Not reported
75	Santa Fe CollegeGainesville, FL · public	$56,722	$54,849	Not reported	$14,875	26%
76	Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston-Salem, NC · public	$56,717	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
77	Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX · public	$56,609	$58,326	$47,270	$16,500	29%
78	Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	$56,474	$58,648	$44,966	$15,100	27%
79	Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlotte, NC · public	$56,456	$59,852	$59,661	Not reported	Not reported
80	Pima Medical Institute-AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque, NM · private for-profit	$56,300	$61,055	$61,391	$35,147	62%
81	Eastern International College-Jersey CityJersey City, NJ · private for-profit	$56,287	$51,732	$50,147	$30,750	55%
82	Mesa Community CollegeMesa, AZ · public	$56,024	$55,647	$64,120	Not reported	Not reported
83	Houston City CollegeHouston, TX · public	$56,005	$57,703	$64,875	Not reported	Not reported
84	Wytheville Community CollegeWytheville, VA · public	$55,931	$55,320	$55,127	Not reported	Not reported
85	City TechBrooklyn, NY · public	$55,457	$51,387	$51,549	$15,527	28%
86	Middlesex Community CollegeBedford, MA · public	$55,428	$52,411	$53,609	$16,100	29%
87	Flint Hills Technical CollegeEmporia, KS · public	$55,147	$61,228	Not reported	$22,148	40%
88	Catawba Valley Community CollegeHickory, NC · public	$55,128	$58,444	$54,508	Not reported	Not reported
89	Cape Cod Community CollegeWest Barnstable, MA · public	$54,903	$51,914	$58,550	$26,376	48%
90	James A. Rhodes State CollegeLima, OH · public	$54,584	$58,835	$50,139	$18,010	33%
91	Gulf Coast State CollegePanama City, FL · public	$54,550	Not adjusted	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
92	Howard CollegeBig Spring, TX · public	$54,428	$56,078	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
93	Lewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfrey, IL · public	$54,276	$54,299	$52,930	$13,417	25%
94	SUNY College of Technology at CantonCanton, NY · public	$54,094	Not adjusted	$52,747	Not reported	Not reported
95	Savannah Technical CollegeSavannah, GA · public	$54,090	$56,172	$64,165	$7,250	13%
96	Central Community CollegeGrand Island, NE · public	$53,860	$59,776	$41,425	$11,000	20%
97	Lamar Institute of TechnologyBeaumont, TX · public	$53,644	Not adjusted	$56,290	Not reported	Not reported
98	Tyler Junior CollegeTyler, TX · public	$53,557	$55,181	$65,496	$16,241	30%
99	Harcum CollegeBryn Mawr, PA · private nonprofit	$53,534	$54,866	Not reported	$25,049	47%
100	Sinclair Community CollegeDayton, OH · public	$53,091	$57,226	$56,201	$19,346	36%
101	West Georgia Technical CollegeWaco, GA · public	$53,056	$55,099	$57,355	Not reported	Not reported
102	Kalamazoo Valley Community CollegeKalamazoo, MI · public	$52,947	$55,029	$51,974	$9,817	19%
103	Northeast Wisconsin Technical CollegeGreen Bay, WI · public	$52,744	Not adjusted	$57,466	Not reported	Not reported
104	Remington College-Dallas CampusDallas, TX · private nonprofit	$52,528	$54,121	$57,714	$29,000	55%
105	Harrisburg Area Community CollegeHarrisburg, PA · public	$52,497	$53,803	$60,594	Not reported	Not reported
106	Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeConway, SC · public	$52,297	Not adjusted	$59,338	Not reported	Not reported
107	Monroe Community CollegeRochester, NY · public	$52,231	$48,397	$55,456	$22,615	43%
108	Hudson Valley Community CollegeTroy, NY · public	$52,151	$48,323	$52,235	$16,515	32%
109	Tallahassee State CollegeTallahassee, FL · public	$51,709	$50,002	Not reported	$11,417	22%
110	Carl Sandburg CollegeGalesburg, IL · public	$51,566	Not adjusted	$54,300	$10,374	20%
111	West Liberty UniversityWest Liberty, WV · public	$51,493	Not adjusted	$47,566	$27,000	52%
112	Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY · public	$51,215	$47,456	Not reported	$18,737	37%
113	Allegany College of MarylandCumberland, MD · public	$51,136	Not adjusted	$54,606	Not reported	Not reported
114	Lake Superior CollegeDuluth, MN · public	$50,993	$51,706	$52,053	$20,250	40%
115	Northampton County Area Community CollegeBethlehem, PA · public	$50,692	$51,953	$58,392	$19,690	39%
116	Coastal Carolina Community CollegeJacksonville, NC · public	$50,081	Not adjusted	$64,575	Not reported	Not reported
117	Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeLexington, KY · public	$50,045	$55,507	$54,651	$13,378	27%
118	Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA · public	$49,953	$56,919	$57,900	Not reported	Not reported
119	Lansing Community CollegeLansing, MI · public	$49,832	$51,791	$54,469	$14,136	28%
120	Ferris StateBig Rapids, MI · public	$49,748	$51,704	$46,192	$26,470	53%
121	Montgomery County Community CollegeBlue Bell, PA · public	$49,729	$50,966	$50,699	$16,707	34%
122	Cuyahoga Community College DistrictCleveland, OH · public	$49,218	$53,052	$49,574	$12,400	25%
123	Fortis College-Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Falls, OH · private for-profit	$48,870	$52,676	$28,753	$44,222	90%
124	North Dakota State College of ScienceWahpeton, ND · public	$48,565	Not adjusted	$52,083	$15,320	32%
125	Bristol Community CollegeFall River, MA · public	$48,308	$45,678	$54,619	Not reported	Not reported
126	Lakeland Community CollegeKirtland, OH · public	$48,254	$52,012	$55,037	$11,200	23%
127	Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, WI · public	$48,083	$51,100	$47,371	$17,462	36%
128	Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner Robins, GA · public	$48,057	$49,907	$57,181	$15,516	32%
129	Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN · public	$47,901	$48,571	$44,397	Not reported	Not reported
130	Concorde Career College-MemphisMemphis, TN · private for-profit	$47,898	Not adjusted	$51,165	$28,980	61%
131	Century College (Minnesota)White Bear Lake, MN · public	$47,789	$48,457	$46,143	$29,300	61%
132	Lorain County Community CollegeElyria, OH · public	$47,358	$51,047	$53,105	$15,747	33%
133	Parkland CollegeChampaign, IL · public	$47,133	$47,153	$52,300	$13,625	29%
134	Camden County CollegeBlackwood, NJ · public	$47,009	$43,205	$47,353	$15,922	34%
135	Rochester Community and Technical CollegeRochester, MN · public	$46,805	$47,459	$51,236	$18,500	40%
136	Pensacola State CollegePensacola, FL · public	$46,690	$45,149	$51,720	$10,000	21%
137	Northeast Mississippi Community CollegeBooneville, MS · public	$46,465	$53,437	$40,035	$16,077	35%
138	Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN · public	$46,036	$49,327	$50,344	$14,000	30%
139	Oakland Community CollegeAuburn Hills, MI · public	$46,032	$47,842	$42,646	Not reported	Not reported
140	Owens Community CollegePerrysburg, OH · public	$46,021	$49,605	$56,941	$20,688	45%
141	Big Sandy Community and Technical CollegePrestonsburg, KY · public	$45,951	$50,967	$33,623	Not reported	Not reported
142	Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeFergus Falls, MN · public	$45,942	$46,584	Not reported	$17,500	38%
143	St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN · public	$45,787	$46,427	$43,753	$25,592	56%
144	Rio Salado CollegeTempe, AZ · public	$45,744	$45,436	Not reported	$12,786	28%
145	Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · public	$45,543	$47,334	$46,454	$17,500	38%
146	Dakota County Technical CollegeRosemount, MN · public	$45,418	$46,053	$43,191	$11,000	24%
147	Tennessee StateNashville, TN · public	$44,192	$48,103	$63,165	$17,900	41%
148	Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	$43,971	$45,700	$45,283	$25,879	59%
149	Manor CollegeJenkintown, PA · private nonprofit	$42,819	$43,885	$51,479	$23,500	55%
150	Amarillo CollegeAmarillo, TX · public	$42,484	Not adjusted	$60,259	$17,375	41%
151	Luzerne County Community CollegeNanticoke, PA · public	$41,650	$42,686	$46,226	$14,750	35%
152	Miami Dade CollegeMiami, FL · public	$41,314	$39,950	Not reported	$18,000	44%
153	Mott Community CollegeFlint, MI · public	$40,544	$42,138	$37,539	$25,926	64%
154	Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga, TN · public	$40,227	$43,787	$46,404	$13,000	32%
155	Salt Lake Community CollegeSalt Lake City, UT · public	$39,676	$40,132	$39,943	$9,357	24%
156	BridgeValley Community & Technical CollegeSouth Charleston, WV · public	$39,504	$44,140	$34,406	$14,928	38%
157	Pearl River Community CollegePoplarville, MS · public	$39,402	$45,314	Not reported	$13,000	33%
158	Shawnee StatePortsmouth, OH · public	$38,644	Not adjusted	$56,236	$18,000	47%
159	Weber StateOgden, UT · public	$38,199	$38,638	$32,999	$22,624	59%
160	Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar Rapids, IA · public	$36,885	$42,028	$40,143	$14,978	41%
161	Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MO · public	$36,855	$40,582	$48,887	$11,000	30%
162	Delta CollegeUniversity Center, MI · public	$36,828	$38,276	$44,502	$17,800	48%
163	Clover Park Technical CollegeLakewood, WA · public	$36,180	$33,809	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
164	Community College of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA · public	$34,849	$35,716	$53,771	$18,926	54%
165	George C Wallace State Community College-HancevilleHanceville, AL · public	$34,837	$39,221	$42,302	$9,125	26%
166	Fortis Institute-TowsonTowson, MD · private for-profit	$33,080	$31,517	$32,123	$25,125	76%
167	Phoenix CollegePhoenix, AZ · public	$32,248	$32,031	$48,841	$10,750	33%
168	Fortis Institute-ScrantonScranton, PA · private for-profit	$31,937	$32,732	$38,300	$28,992	91%
169	South Puget Sound Community CollegeOlympia, WA · public	$31,694	$29,617	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
170	Stark State CollegeNorth Canton, OH · public	$30,672	$33,061	$44,232	$17,750	58%
171	Grayson CollegeDenison, TX · public	$30,560	$31,487	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
172	Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical CareersChattanooga, TN · private for-profit	$29,984	Not adjusted	$24,126	$18,678	62%
173	Vet Tech Institute of IndianaIndianapolis, IN · private for-profit	$28,876	$30,940	$32,231	$11,898	41%
174	ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach, VA · private for-profit	$28,544	$28,232	$31,931	$16,000	56%
175	Miller-Motte College-ChattanoogaChattanooga, TN · private for-profit	$26,998	$29,387	$34,364	$26,779	99%
176	East Ohio CollegeEast Liverpool, OH · private for-profit	$22,920	$24,705	$27,840	$11,998	52%
177	West Virginia Junior College-CharlestonCross Lanes, WV · private for-profit	$20,794	$23,234	$30,028	$7,779	37%
178	NUC UniversityBayamon, PR · private for-profit	$10,926	Not adjusted	$16,153	$7,335	67%

Pay after cost of living divides first-year pay by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price level of the school's state, where the US average is 100. It is shown for 151 programs where at least half of the graduates who work are working in the school's state. The other 27, whose graduates mostly work in other states or whose state has no price level, are listed last when you sort by it.

46 programs report pay but not debt, so they are ranked only by pay.

College Scorecard withholds pay for programs with too few graduates, to protect their privacy, so those programs can't be ranked. 2 more programs report pay but aren't listed, because College Scorecard's school file doesn't name their schools. The national medians above still count them.

Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Associate's) programs by state

Each row is the median across the state's dental hygiene and assisting associate's programs. State names link to the full ranking of that state's programs.

#	State	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	California	7	$70,807	$26,125
2	Arizona	7	$62,481	$12,786
3	New Jersey	5	$59,451	$22,382
4	Illinois	9	$57,717	$13,625
5	Florida	12	$57,278	$14,875
6	New York	11	$57,035	$19,158
7	Ohio	12	$48,562	$18,005
8	Minnesota	8	$47,297	$20,250
9	Pennsylvania	8	$46,274	$19,595
10	Michigan	8	$45,788	$17,800
11	Tennessee	5	$40,227	$18,678

Programs in 31 more states and territories report pay, but too few to rank. A state ranking needs at least five programs that report both pay and debt.

Quick picks nationwide

Lowest median debt

Kalamazoo Valley Community College, MI$9,817
Pima Community College, AZ$10,000
Pensacola State College, FL$10,000
Carl Sandburg College, IL$10,374
Southwestern College (California), CA$10,500
Phoenix College, AZ$10,750
Dakota County Technical College, MN$11,000
Lakeland Community College, OH$11,200
Middlesex College, NJ$11,250
Tallahassee State College, FL$11,417

Lowest debt for the pay

Southwestern College (California), CA16%
Pima Community College, AZ16%
Kalamazoo Valley Community College, MI19%
Middlesex College, NJ19%
Carl Sandburg College, IL20%
College of Lake County, IL21%
Pensacola State College, FL21%
Tallahassee State College, FL22%
Hostos Community College, NY23%
Lake Land College, IL23%

Only the 75 programs with their own page here are included. "Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to dental hygiene and assisting, largest first. Pay is the median across the US and all experience levels.

Dental Assistants

$48,070

Median pay in the US. 387,790 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 53,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $37,130Top 10%: $62,250

Dental Hygienists

$98,100

Median pay in the US. 222,740 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $74,880Top 10%: $126,050

Dental Laboratory Technicians

$49,610

Median pay in the US. 34,410 people work in this job in the US. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $36,660Top 10%: $76,940

Common questions

The median dental hygiene and assisting associate's program in the US pays its graduates $54,567 in their first year and $56,201 five years after.

Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Bachelor's) programs in the US, ranked71 programs by pay and debt Dental Hygiene and Assisting (Certificate) programs in the US, ranked198 programs by pay and debt

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
National medians include every program in the 50 states, DC, and US territories, including schools that have since closed. Schools with several campuses that report one combined figure are counted once.
Programs are ranked by College Scorecard median pay one year after graduation. Pay after cost of living uses the price level of the school's state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024