The dental hygiene field in Missouri is projected to growth at more than three times the rate of occupations as a whole in the state according to the state’s Department of Economic Development. This agency projects a 26.99% rate of growth in the number of dental hygienist jobs during the ten-year period ending in 2022.
Dental Hygienist Salaries in Key Regions of Missouri
The average 2013 entry-level dental hygienist salary in Missouri was $56,256—much higher than that of most occupations. The average Missouri dental hygienist salary was $70,248, while experienced professionals earned $77,244 on average.
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Dental hygienist salaries in all categories were highest in the Saint Louis Workforce Investment Area (WIA):
WIA
Entry-level
Average
Experienced
Central
$58825
$71741
$78199
Kansas City
$54058
$68975
$76433
Northeast
$60258
$69462
$74064
Northwest
$54154
$63403
$68028
Saint Louis
$61733
$74260
$80523
Southeast
$52245
$61793
$66566
Southwest
$55755
$64272
$68530
Dental Hygienist Employment Levels in Missouri
In 2012, there were 2,803 dental hygienists working in Missouri. Forty percent of them were in the Saint Louis area. The rest of these professionals were dispersed throughout the state. The Kansas City area had the second largest amount of dental hygienists with 18.7%. This was nearly twice the number of those employed in the Central Workforce Investment Area.
Job growth predictions indicate that the West Central area will have a higher rate of job growth than the state’s average at 27.27%. The only other area with job growth projections in excess of 20% was the Central Workforce Investment Area.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides an analysis of the 2013 Missouri dental hygiene salary percentiles throughout the state:
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
Cape Girardeau-Jackson MO-IL
50
29.81
62010
31.30
34.39
36.26
65110
71540
75430
Columbia MO
130
36.80
76540
36.91
41.72
44.65
76770
86770
92880
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR-MO
170
26.10
54290
21.52
38.40
42.58
44770
79860
88560
Jefferson City MO
50
33.59
69860
33.65
35.66
37.00
70000
74170
76970
Joplin MO
90
31.31
65130
32.11
34.43
35.82
66790
71610
74500
Kansas City MO-KS
1140
32.33
67240
32.96
39.61
43.86
68550
82390
91230
St. Joseph MO-KS
50
30.18
62770
29.85
33.93
37.01
62100
70580
76970
St. Louis MO-IL
1700
33.13
68910
32.59
36.23
48.15
67790
75350
100160
Springfield MO
260
30.54
63520
32.23
38.50
44.52
67040
80080
92600
Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area
180
31.18
64850
31.41
35.26
41.46
65330
73330
86230
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area
80
33.22
69100
32.79
35.75
41.99
68200
74360
87340
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area
90
29.29
60920
29.66
33.05
35.09
61690
68750
72990
Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area
60
31.26
65020
32.27
34.80
36.40
67120
72380
75710
