Dental Hygienist salary in Decatur
Decatur, AL
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Decatur metro earns $61,340 ($29.49/hr). Decatur pays roughly 37% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Decatur: the analysis
At a verified median of $61,340, dental hygienists in Decatur earn substantially below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 37%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Decatur ranks 368th.
Compared with Alabama as a whole (median $61,160), Decatur tracks the statewide median closely. Local demand, cost of labor, and the mix of practices drive most of that difference.
The pay range is wide: the lowest-paid tenth of dental hygienists in this metro area earn around $47,390, while the top tenth earn $72,390 or more — a spread of about $25,000. That gap reflects experience, practice setting, and local demand more than any single factor, so an individual offer can sit well above or below the midpoint.
The BLS counts roughly 80 dental hygienists employed in Decatur — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Decatur, a dental hygienist earns about 2.0× less than a general dentist and about 1.5× what a dental assistant earns ($125,310, $40,440 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Decatur (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $47,390 | $22.78/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $60,080 | $28.88/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $61,340 | $29.49/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $63,080 | $30.33/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $72,390 | $34.80/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $61,570 | $29.60/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Decatur?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Decatur metro earns about $61,340 ($29.49/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Decatur dental hygienist pay compare to Alabama overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Decatur metro median is about $61,340, versus the verified BLS OEWS Alabama statewide median of about $61,160.
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