Dental Hygienist salary in Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Lafayette metro earns $81,900 ($39.38/hr). Lafayette pays roughly 17% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Lafayette: the analysis
At a verified median of $81,900, dental hygienists in Lafayette 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, Lafayette ranks 287th.
Compared with Louisiana as a whole (median $85,240), Lafayette pays dental hygienists about 4% 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 $49,450, while the top tenth earn $96,310 or more — a spread of about $46,860. 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 200 dental hygienists employed in Lafayette — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lafayette, a dental hygienist earns about 2.1× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× what a dental assistant earns ($171,860, $44,940 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Lafayette (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $49,450 | $23.77/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $80,810 | $38.85/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $81,900 | $39.38/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $91,520 | $44.00/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $96,310 | $46.30/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $81,710 | $39.28/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Lafayette?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Lafayette metro earns about $81,900 ($39.38/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lafayette dental hygienist pay compare to Louisiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lafayette metro median is about $81,900, versus the verified BLS OEWS Louisiana statewide median of about $85,240.
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