Dental Hygienist salary in Louisville
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Louisville metro earns $81,390 ($39.13/hr). Louisville pays roughly 17% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Louisville: the analysis
At a verified median of $81,390, dental hygienists in Louisville 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, Louisville ranks 299th.
Compared with Kentucky as a whole (median $78,830), Louisville pays dental hygienists about 3% more — slightly 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 $63,870, while the top tenth earn $99,250 or more — a spread of about $35,380. 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 780 dental hygienists employed in Louisville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Louisville, a dental hygienist earns about 1.9× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× what a dental assistant earns ($151,420, $49,100 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Louisville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $63,870 | $30.71/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $77,040 | $37.04/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $81,390 | $39.13/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $97,160 | $46.71/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $99,250 | $47.72/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $83,640 | $40.21/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 Louisville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Louisville metro earns about $81,390 ($39.13/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Louisville dental hygienist pay compare to Kentucky overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Louisville metro median is about $81,390, versus the verified BLS OEWS Kentucky statewide median of about $78,830.
Last updated