How Much Do Dental Hygienists Make in Texas?
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Dental hygienists in Texas earn a median salary of $99,240 a year, or $47.71 an hour, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data for May 2025. That puts Texas slightly above the national median of $98,100.
The figure moves with location, since the Austin metro pays a median above $105,000 while El Paso pays under $85,000. It moves even more with hours, because published salaries assume a full-time week in a field where part-time schedules are common. The sections below break the number down by percentile, city, and experience.
Job Outlook for Dental Hygienists in Texas
Texas projects 22% growth for dental hygienists from 2024 to 2034, from 15,550 jobs to 18,950, with about 1,370 openings a year, according to the state projections compiled by Projections Central. Nationally, BLS projects 8% growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 15,000 openings a year, so the Texas rate is close to three times the national one.
The two projections use different base years, which is why the 15,550 Texas job count sits below the 16,380 hygienists BLS counted in May 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average dental hygienist salary in Texas?
The median dental hygienist salary in Texas is $99,240 a year, or $47.71 an hour, per BLS data for May 2025, and the mean is $96,240. Half of Texas hygienists earn between $85,280 and $107,320. Job boards quote different figures because they use asking rates from postings, not employer-reported wages.
Do part-time dental hygienists in Texas get paid hourly?
Yes. Employers report part-time hygienists' pay to BLS as hourly rates, and Texas job postings quote hourly figures too. The Texas median of $47.71 an hour is the useful comparison figure, since a three-day week at that rate comes to about $59,540 a year rather than the $99,240 full-time equivalent.
Who gets paid more, an RN or a dental hygienist in Texas?
Dental hygienists, at the median. Texas hygienists earned $99,240 in May 2025 against $95,970 for Texas registered nurses, a $3,270 edge. RNs have the higher ceiling, with a 90th percentile of $127,950 versus $117,890 for hygienists, so the answer flips at the top of the scale.
Can I live off being a dental hygienist in Texas?
Yes on a full-time schedule. The Texas median comes to about $8,270 a month before taxes, with no state income tax taken out, and even the 10th percentile is $71,530 a year. The caveat is hours, since a three-day week at the same hourly rate comes to about $59,540.
How long does it take to become a dental hygienist in TX?
About three years, which is the timeline BLS gives for dental hygiene programs once prerequisites are counted, followed by the NBDHE, an ADEX or CRDTS-SRTA clinical exam, and the TSBDE license application with its jurisprudence assessment and fingerprinting. Most programs award an associate degree.
What Moves Dental Hygienist Pay in Texas
Texas dental hygienist pay is competitive: a $99,240 median that sits above the national figure and above what Texas registered nurses earn, with 22% projected growth behind it.
The number that matters most, though, is not the annual median but the hourly rate multiplied by the days you actually work. Experience, metro area, and full-time versus part-time status move a Texas hygienist's pay more than anything else, and the hourly figure is what lets you compare an Austin offer against an El Paso one on equal terms.
