Dental Hygienist salary in Hickory
Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Hickory metro earns $94,050 ($45.21/hr). Hickory pays roughly 4% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Hickory: the analysis
At a verified median of $94,050, dental hygienists in Hickory earn modestly below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 4%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Hickory ranks 164th.
Compared with North Carolina as a whole (median $97,850), Hickory pays dental hygienists about 4% 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 $79,660, while the top tenth earn $98,130 or more — a spread of about $18,470. 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 170 dental hygienists employed in Hickory — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Hickory, a dental hygienist earns about 2.1× less than a general dentist and about 1.9× what a dental assistant earns ($193,320, $48,720 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Hickory (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $79,660 | $38.30/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $82,890 | $39.85/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $94,050 | $45.22/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $97,880 | $47.06/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $98,130 | $47.18/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $90,420 | $43.47/hr |
North Carolina context
North Carolina verified median: $97,850.
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Hickory?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Hickory metro earns about $94,050 ($45.21/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Hickory dental hygienist pay compare to North Carolina overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Hickory metro median is about $94,050, versus the verified BLS OEWS North Carolina statewide median of about $97,850.
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