Dental Hygienist salary in Athens
Athens–Clarke County, GA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Athens metro earns $81,830 ($39.34/hr). Athens pays roughly 17% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Athens: the analysis
At a verified median of $81,830, dental hygienists in Athens earn notably below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 17%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Athens ranks 289th.
Compared with Georgia as a whole (median $95,490), Athens pays dental hygienists about 14% less than the statewide median. 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 $64,860, while the top tenth earn $93,500 or more — a spread of about $28,640. 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 130 dental hygienists employed in Athens — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Athens, a dental hygienist earns about 2.0× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× what a dental assistant earns ($166,440, $43,970 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Athens (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $64,860 | $31.18/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $77,650 | $37.33/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $81,830 | $39.34/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $92,270 | $44.36/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $93,500 | $44.95/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $82,380 | $39.61/hr |
Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Athens?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Athens metro earns about $81,830 ($39.34/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Athens dental hygienist pay compare to Georgia overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Athens metro median is about $81,830, versus the verified BLS OEWS Georgia statewide median of about $95,490.
Last updated