Dental Hygienist salary in New Orleans
New Orleans–Metairie, LA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the New Orleans metro earns $93,650 ($45.02/hr). New Orleans pays roughly 5% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in New Orleans: the analysis
At a verified median of $93,650, dental hygienists in New Orleans earn modestly below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 5%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, New Orleans ranks 169th.
Compared with Louisiana as a whole (median $85,240), New Orleans 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 $45,840, while the top tenth earn $98,330 or more — a spread of about $52,490. 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 840 dental hygienists employed in New Orleans — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within New Orleans, a dental hygienist earns about 2.1× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× what a dental assistant earns ($198,050, $45,920 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — New Orleans (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $45,840 | $22.04/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $82,940 | $39.88/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $93,650 | $45.02/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $98,020 | $47.13/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $98,330 | $47.27/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $83,090 | $39.95/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in New Orleans?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the New Orleans metro earns about $93,650 ($45.02/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does New Orleans dental hygienist pay compare to Louisiana overall?
The verified BLS OEWS New Orleans metro median is about $93,650, versus the verified BLS OEWS Louisiana statewide median of about $85,240.
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