Dental Hygienists Salary
The median pay for a dental hygienists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $104,930/year ($50.45/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $86K at the entry level to $109K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $106,388 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 22.4% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $105K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About dental hygienists
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Dental hygienists pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $105K locally vs. $98K nationwide, a 7% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 23% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for dental hygienists in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $102K | $99K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $105K | $108K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $98K | $104K |
| El Paso | $85K | $94K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level dental hygienists (10th percentile) start around $86K. Mid-career wages sit at $105K. Top earners bring in $109K or more, a $23K spread from bottom to top.
Dental Hygienists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Dental Hygienists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $137K | +40% | 320 |
| Alaska | $133K | +35% | 790 |
| Washington | $131K | +34% | 6,330 |
| California | $125K | +27% | 24,500 |
| Oregon | $122K | +24% | 3,600 |
| Nevada | $115K | +18% | 1,510 |
| Colorado | $110K | +12% | 4,270 |
| Maryland | $108K | +10% | 3,500 |
| New Jersey | $107K | +9% | 7,230 |
| New York | $106K | +8% | 13,660 |
| Minnesota | $104K | +6% | 4,110 |
| Virginia | $103K | +5% | 3,770 |
| New Hampshire | $101K | +3% | 1,360 |
| Arizona | $101K | +3% | 4,530 |
| Connecticut | $101K | +3% | 3,240 |
| Massachusetts | $101K | +3% | 6,850 |
| Texas | $99K | +1% | 16,380 |
| Delaware | $99K | +1% | 750 |
| Montana | $98K | +0% | 860 |
| North Carolina | $98K | -0% | 6,690 |
| Maine | $98K | -0% | 1,060 |
| Oklahoma | $98K | -1% | 2,860 |
| Hawaii | $98K | -1% | 830 |
| Vermont | $97K | -1% | 560 |
| Illinois | $97K | -1% | 8,970 |
| Wisconsin | $97K | -2% | 5,080 |
| New Mexico | $96K | -2% | 1,420 |
| Georgia | $95K | -3% | 7,440 |
| Idaho | $95K | -4% | 2,060 |
| Missouri | $93K | -5% | 3,810 |
| Nebraska | $93K | -6% | 1,280 |
| Indiana | $92K | -6% | 5,020 |
| South Dakota | $92K | -6% | 630 |
| Florida | $92K | -6% | 11,980 |
| Utah | $91K | -7% | 3,780 |
| North Dakota | $91K | -8% | 660 |
| Ohio | $89K | -9% | 8,630 |
| Rhode Island | $87K | -11% | 770 |
| Arkansas | $87K | -12% | 1,740 |
| Louisiana | $85K | -13% | 2,690 |
| Wyoming | $85K | -13% | 500 |
| Tennessee | $85K | -14% | 4,570 |
| South Carolina | $84K | -14% | 3,160 |
| Iowa | $84K | -14% | 2,440 |
| Michigan | $84K | -15% | 8,640 |
| Pennsylvania | $81K | -18% | 7,970 |
| Kentucky | $79K | -20% | 2,070 |
| West Virginia | $74K | -25% | 1,250 |
| Mississippi | $67K | -31% | 1,140 |
| Alabama | $61K | -38% | 3,170 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track dental hygienists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dental hygienist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $105K, rent takes 23% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for dental hygienists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dental hygienists typically earn — is $86K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,133/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dental hygienist a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $105K locally vs. $98K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for dental hygienists?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $105K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s +7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $106K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do dental hygienists make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $104,930 a year, that works out to about $50 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $85,550, and experienced dental hygienists can clear $108,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $105K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,850/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 23% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a dental hygienists salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dental hygienists salary is worth about $106,388 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dental hygienists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.