As is the case nationally, jobs in the field of dental hygiene are expected to increase in Massachusetts in the coming years. The state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) projects a 19.86% increase in the number of dental hygienist jobs between 2012 and 2022.
Some 97% of Massachusetts’s dental hygienists worked in healthcare services earned an average salary of $79,740 a year in 2013. Those entering the workforce earned $65,940 on average, while those with experience averaged $86,870.
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Dental Hygienist Salaries in Massachusetts Workforce Investment Areas
The average 2013 Massachusetts dental hygienist salary varied a great deal between Workforce Investment Areas (WIA). For instance, dental hygienists in the Metro South/West area averaged $86,230, while those in the Berkshire County area earned $63,390 on average:
WIA
Entry-level
Average
Experienced
Berkshire County
$47711
$63390
$71230
Bristol County
$66512
$73480
$76964
Brockton
$62274
$76176
$83127
Cape & Islands
$68891
$82178
$85746
Central Massachusetts
$56547
$75471
$84978
Greater Lowell
$66837
$82293
$85459
Hampden County
$68484
$78222
$83091
Lower Merrimack Valley
$68628
$79735
$85289
Metro South/West
$77276
$86230
$88911
North Shore
$66090
$73644
$78095
In 2012, some 5,800 dental hygienists were employed in Massachusetts. The EOLWD predicts an average of 266 dental hygiene jobs a year will become available in the state. Most of these jobs will be to replacement retirees, while 116 will be due to growth in the field.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information on 2013 dental hygienist salary percentiles in different areas of Massachusetts:
Area name
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Barnstable Town, MA
220
38.58
80250
39.67
43.05
45.08
82520
89550
93770
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH
4260
39.06
81250
40.34
43.65
45.67
83910
90790
95000
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA NECTA Division
2450
39.76
82700
40.96
44.05
46.09
85200
91630
95870
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton MA NECTA Division
170
38.97
81060
40.75
43.56
45.25
84750
90610
94120
Framingham MA NECTA Division
390
39.11
81340
39.90
43.29
45.35
82990
90050
94330
Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury MA-NH NECTA Division
220
39.31
81760
40.28
43.44
45.35
83780
90360
94320
Lawrence-Methuen-Salem MA-NH NECTA Division
140
36.55
76030
38.08
42.13
44.56
79210
87630
92690
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner MA
140
43.28
90020
41.76
45.06
63.12
86860
93720
131290
Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford MA-NH NECTA Division
240
38.22
79490
39.67
43.03
45.05
82520
89500
93690
Nashua NH-MA NECTA Division
270
40.29
83810
41.41
44.35
46.16
86120
92250
96000
New Bedford MA
Estimate not released
34.70
72190
34.94
39.45
43.66
72680
82050
90810
Peabody MA NECTA Division
300
35.25
73310
35.15
39.88
43.87
73120
82950
91250
Pittsfield MA
70
28.77
59830
31.59
36.18
40.73
65710
75250
84710
Providence-Fall River-Warwick RI-MA
1230
34.40
71550
33.87
36.51
42.38
70440
75930
88150
Springfield MA-CT
420
38.03
79100
37.94
42.63
45.45
78910
88670
94540
Taunton-Norton-Raynham MA NECTA Division
90
34.49
71730
34.30
37.66
42.91
71330
78330
89260
Worcester MA-CT
580
35.99
74860
38.82
42.67
44.98
80760
88760
93560
Northwest Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area
70
32.61
67840
33.08
35.02
36.37
68800
72840
75650
