Dental Hygienist salary in Altoona
Altoona, PA
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Altoona metro earns $75,070 ($36.09/hr). Altoona pays roughly 23% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Altoona: the analysis
At a verified median of $75,070, dental hygienists in Altoona earn notably below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 23%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Altoona ranks 352nd.
Compared with Pennsylvania as a whole (median $80,610), Altoona pays dental hygienists about 7% 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 $66,740, while the top tenth earn $87,460 or more — a spread of about $20,720. 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 90 dental hygienists employed in Altoona — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Altoona, a dental hygienist earns about 1.6× less than a general dentist and about 1.7× what a dental assistant earns ($117,110, $45,310 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Altoona (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $66,740 | $32.09/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $73,790 | $35.48/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $75,070 | $36.09/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $78,500 | $37.74/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $87,460 | $42.05/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $75,050 | $36.08/hr |
Estimate your pay
Open calculatorKnow a real number we don’t?
Submit your compensation anonymously. We review every entry and publish only de-identified aggregates above a sample-size threshold.
Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Altoona?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Altoona metro earns about $75,070 ($36.09/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Altoona dental hygienist pay compare to Pennsylvania overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Altoona metro median is about $75,070, versus the verified BLS OEWS Pennsylvania statewide median of about $80,610.
Last updated