Dental Hygienist salary in Lincoln
Lincoln, NE
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Lincoln metro earns $95,100 ($45.72/hr). Lincoln pays roughly 3% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Lincoln: the analysis
At a verified median of $95,100, dental hygienists in Lincoln earn slightly below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 3%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Lincoln ranks 152nd.
Compared with Nebraska as a whole (median $92,580), Lincoln 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 $67,600, while the top tenth earn $98,880 or more — a spread of about $31,280. 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 280 dental hygienists employed in Lincoln — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Lincoln, a dental hygienist earns about 2.2× less than a general dentist and about 2.0× what a dental assistant earns ($204,530, $48,440 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Lincoln (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $67,600 | $32.50/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $86,300 | $41.49/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $95,100 | $45.72/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $97,740 | $46.99/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $98,880 | $47.54/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $90,820 | $43.66/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Lincoln?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Lincoln metro earns about $95,100 ($45.72/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Lincoln dental hygienist pay compare to Nebraska overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Lincoln metro median is about $95,100, versus the verified BLS OEWS Nebraska statewide median of about $92,580.
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