Dental Hygienist salary in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, LA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Lake Charles metro earns $84,080 ($40.42/hr). Lake Charles pays roughly 14% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Lake Charles: the analysis
At a verified median of $84,080, dental hygienists in Lake Charles earn notably below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 14%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Lake Charles ranks 249th.
Compared with Louisiana as a whole (median $85,240), Lake Charles tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $62,950, while the top tenth earn $92,910 or more — a spread of about $29,960. 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 Lake Charles — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lake Charles, a dental hygienist earns about 1.4× less than a general dentist and about 2.1× what a dental assistant earns ($114,470, $40,200 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Lake Charles (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $62,950 | $30.26/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $75,570 | $36.33/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $84,080 | $40.42/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $87,460 | $42.05/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $92,910 | $44.67/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $80,450 | $38.68/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Lake Charles?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Lake Charles metro earns about $84,080 ($40.42/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lake Charles dental hygienist pay compare to Louisiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lake Charles metro median is about $84,080, versus the verified BLS OEWS Louisiana statewide median of about $85,240.
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