Dental Hygienist salary in Boulder
Boulder, CO
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Boulder metro earns $130,000 ($62.50/hr). Boulder pays roughly 33% above the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Boulder: the analysis
At a verified median of $130,000, dental hygienists in Boulder earn substantially above the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 33%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Boulder ranks 11th.
Compared with Colorado as a whole (median $109,580), Boulder pays dental hygienists about 19% 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 $93,600, while the top tenth earn $133,460 or more — a spread of about $39,860. 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 300 dental hygienists employed in Boulder — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Boulder, a dental hygienist earns about 1.4× less than a general dentist and about 2.2× what a dental assistant earns ($180,440, $58,760 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Boulder (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $93,600 | $45.00/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $110,470 | $53.11/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $130,000 | $62.50/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $133,150 | $64.01/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $133,460 | $64.16/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $122,460 | $58.88/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Boulder?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Boulder metro earns about $130,000 ($62.50/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Boulder dental hygienist pay compare to Colorado overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Boulder metro median is about $130,000, versus the verified BLS OEWS Colorado statewide median of about $109,580.
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