Dental Hygienist salary in Rochester
Rochester, NY
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Rochester metro earns $93,650 ($45.02/hr). Rochester pays roughly 5% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Rochester: the analysis
At a verified median of $93,650, dental hygienists in Rochester 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, Rochester ranks 170th.
Compared with New York as a whole (median $106,130), Rochester pays dental hygienists about 12% 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 $80,290, while the top tenth earn $95,160 or more — a spread of about $14,870. 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 940 dental hygienists employed in Rochester — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Rochester, a dental hygienist earns about 1.8× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× what a dental assistant earns ($167,480, $48,780 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Rochester (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $80,290 | $38.60/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $81,420 | $39.14/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $93,650 | $45.02/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $94,490 | $45.43/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $95,160 | $45.75/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $88,770 | $42.68/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Rochester?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Rochester metro earns about $93,650 ($45.02/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Rochester dental hygienist pay compare to New York overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Rochester metro median is about $93,650, versus the verified BLS OEWS New York statewide median of about $106,130.
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