Dental Hygienist salary in Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
The verified BLS median dental hygienist in the Knoxville metro earns $84,640 ($40.69/hr). Knoxville pays roughly 14% below the national median of $98,100.
Dental Hygienist pay in Knoxville: the analysis
At a verified median of $84,640, dental hygienists in Knoxville earn notably below the U.S. median of $98,100 — a gap of about 14%. Among the 377 metro areas where the BLS reports dental hygienist pay, Knoxville ranks 240th.
Compared with Tennessee as a whole (median $84,640), Knoxville tracks the statewide median closely. 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 $81,380, while the top tenth earn $97,700 or more — a spread of about $16,320. 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 590 dental hygienists employed in Knoxville — a measure of how deep the local job market is for the role.
Within Knoxville, a dental hygienist earns about 1.9× less than a general dentist and about 1.8× what a dental assistant earns ($157,900, $46,790 respectively) — a quick way to see where the role sits in the local dental pay ladder.
Dental Hygienist pay distribution — Knoxville (verified)
Inner percentiles marked “est.” are interpolated between published anchors.
| Percentile | Annual pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentilei | $81,380 | $39.13/hr |
| 25th percentilei | $84,340 | $40.55/hr |
| Median (50th)i | $84,640 | $40.69/hr |
| 75th percentilei | $93,590 | $45.00/hr |
| 90th percentilei | $97,700 | $46.97/hr |
| Mean (average)i | $87,100 | $41.88/hr |
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Submit your salary →Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental hygienist make in Knoxville?
The verified BLS OEWS median dental hygienist in the Knoxville metro earns about $84,640 ($40.69/hr), from the official May 2025 metropolitan wage survey.
How does Knoxville dental hygienist pay compare to Tennessee overall?
The verified BLS OEWS Knoxville metro median is about $84,640, versus the verified BLS OEWS Tennessee statewide median of about $84,640.
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