Dental Hygienist salary in San Jose
San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the San Jose metro earns $139,990 ($67.30/hr). San Jose pays roughly 43% above the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in San Jose: the analysis
At a verified median of $139,990, dental hygienists in San Jose earn substantially above the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 43%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, San Jose ranks 2nd.
Compared with California as a whole (median $124,930), San Jose pays dental hygienists about 12% more — notably above the statewide figure. 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 $128,620, while the top tenth earn $156,850 or more — a spread of about $28,230. 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 1,620 dental hygienists employed in San Jose — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within San Jose, a dental hygienist earns about 1.5× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× what a dental assistant earns ($207,910, $74,600 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — San Jose (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $128,620 | $61.84/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $131,080 | $63.02/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $139,990 | $67.30/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $155,770 | $74.89/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $156,850 | $75.41/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $142,850 | $68.68/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in San Jose?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the San Jose metro earns about $139,990 ($67.30/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does San Jose dental hygienist pay compare to California overall?
The verified BLS OEWS San Jose metro median is about $139,990, versus the verified BLS OEWS California statewide median of about $124,930.
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