Dental Hygienist salary in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, NM
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Santa Fe metro earns $99,260 ($47.72/hr). Santa Fe is about the national median ($98,100).
Dental Hygienist pay in Santa Fe: the analysis
At a verified median of $99,260, dental hygienists in Santa Fe earn in line with the U.S. median of $98,100 . Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Santa Fe ranks 95th.
Compared with New Mexico as a whole (median $95,940), Santa Fe 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 $93,210, while the top tenth earn $120,880 or more — a spread of about $27,670. 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 Santa Fe — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Santa Fe, a dental hygienist earns about 1.6× less than a general dentist and about 2.1× what a dental assistant earns ($154,960, $47,160 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Santa Fe (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $93,210 | $44.81/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $96,680 | $46.48/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $99,260 | $47.72/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $107,130 | $51.50/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $120,880 | $58.12/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $102,810 | $49.43/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Santa Fe?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Santa Fe metro earns about $99,260 ($47.72/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Santa Fe dental hygienist pay compare to New Mexico overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Santa Fe metro median is about $99,260, versus the verified BLS OEWS New Mexico statewide median of about $95,940.
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