Dental Hygienist salary in Iowa City
Iowa City, IA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Iowa City metro earns $92,020 ($44.24/hr). Iowa City pays roughly 6% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Iowa City: the analysis
At a verified median of $92,020, dental hygienists in Iowa City earn modestly below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 6%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Iowa City ranks 186th.
Compared with Iowa as a whole (median $84,010), Iowa City pays dental hygienists about 10% more — modestly 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 $79,440, while the top tenth earn $98,470 or more — a spread of about $19,030. 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 120 dental hygienists employed in Iowa City — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Iowa City, a dental hygienist earns about 2.2× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× what a dental assistant earns ($199,410, $49,230 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Iowa City (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $79,440 | $38.19/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $82,120 | $39.48/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $92,020 | $44.24/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $95,930 | $46.12/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $98,470 | $47.34/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $89,250 | $42.91/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Iowa City?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Iowa City metro earns about $92,020 ($44.24/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Iowa City dental hygienist pay compare to Iowa overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Iowa City metro median is about $92,020, versus the verified BLS OEWS Iowa statewide median of about $84,010.
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