How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make in Merced, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Hygienists in Merced, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Merced metro area
A typical Dental Hygienist in Merced, California earns $56.44 per hour, or $117,400 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $9,783 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $102,760, and the top 10% of earners make over $130,100.
That pay is 6% below the California figure of $124,930 and 20% above the national figure of $98,100. Merced ranks 19th of 25 metro areas in California for Dental Hygienist pay. About 100 Dental Hygienists work in the Merced area.
Dental Hygienist pay in Merced at a glance
- Typical pay is $56.44 an hour, or $117,400 a year.
- That is 6% below the California figure, ranking 19th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $102,760; the top 10% make over $130,100.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Merced?
Pay in Merced runs from entry-level positions at around $49.40 an hour to more than $62.55 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Dental Hygienist pay by career stage in Merced
| Career stage | Merced | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $102,760$49.40 an hour | $102,090$49.08 an hour | $74,880$36.00 an hour |
| First years | $105,930$50.93 an hour | $109,730$52.76 an hour | $83,570$40.18 an hour |
| Typical Dental Hygienist | $117,400$56.44 an hour | $124,930$60.06 an hour | $98,100$47.16 an hour |
| Experienced | $126,690$60.91 an hour | $132,120$63.52 an hour | $108,480$52.16 an hour |
| Top 10% | $130,100$62.55 an hour | $151,920$73.04 an hour | $126,050$60.60 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Merced area as BLS defines it
Dental Hygienist pay growth in Merced
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Hygienists in the Merced area · BLS OES May estimates, 2017 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2017, typical Dental Hygienist pay in Merced was $103,600 a year. By 2025 it had reached $117,400, compared with +29% for California over the same years.
How Merced compares with other California cities
San Francisco pays Dental Hygienists the most in California at $146,760 a year, $29,360 more than Merced. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $98,240.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Merced | Dental Hygienists employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | $146,760 | $70.56 | +25% | 3,780 |
| 2 | Santa Clara | $139,990 | $67.30 | +19% | 1,620 |
| 3 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $136,210 | $65.49 | +16% | 310 |
| 4 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $135,990 | $65.38 | +16% | 260 |
| 5 | Napa | $131,370 | $63.16 | +12% | 100 |
| 6 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $130,600 | $62.79 | +11% | 220 |
| 7 | Vallejo | $128,570 | $61.81 | +10% | 270 |
| 8 | Ventura metro incl. Oxnard · Thousand Oaks | $126,530 | $60.83 | +8% | 500 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $125,670 | $60.42 | +7% | 220 |
| 10 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $125,130 | $60.16 | +7% | 480 |
| 11 | Yuba City | $124,780 | $59.99 | +6% | 60 |
| 12 | Modesto | $123,910 | $59.57 | +6% | 390 |
| 13 | Chula Vista | $123,790 | $59.52 | +5% | 1,940 |
| 14 | Long Beach metro incl. Anaheim · Los Angeles | $122,980 | $59.12 | +5% | 7,940 |
| 15 | Roseville metro incl. Sacramento · Folsom | $122,540 | $58.92 | +4% | 2,200 |
| 16 | Salinas | $122,370 | $58.83 | +4% | 240 |
| 17 | Chico | $118,800 | $57.12 | +1% | 150 |
| 18 | Redding | $118,130 | $56.79 | +1% | 130 |
| 19 | Merced | $117,400 | $56.44 | this city | 100 |
| 20 | El Centro | $115,870 | $55.71 | -1% | 40 |
| 21 | Bakersfield metro incl. Delano | $114,380 | $54.99 | -3% | 340 |
| 22 | Corcoran metro incl. Hanford | $113,160 | $54.41 | -4% | 80 |
| 23 | San Bernardino | $105,730 | $50.83 | -10% | 1,860 |
| 24 | Fresno | $101,730 | $48.91 | -13% | 530 |
| 25 | Visalia | $98,240 | $47.23 | -16% | 200 |
Every metro area in California with Dental Hygienist wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $124,930
Is Merced a good place to work as a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists in Merced earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $117,400 a year, 20% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Merced area, about 1.3 are Dental Hygienist positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.4. Dental Hygienist jobs make up about the same share of the job market as they do across the country.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Merced, CA?
- A typical Dental Hygienist in Merced earns $117,400 a year, or $56.44 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $102,760 and the top 10% earn over $130,100.
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make an hour in Merced?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Hygienists in Merced is $56.44. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $49.40, and the top 10% earn over $62.55 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Hygienist in Merced?
- Entry-level Dental Hygienist positions in Merced typically offer around $49.40 an hour, or $102,760 a year.
- Is Dental Hygienist pay in Merced higher than in the rest of California?
- Merced pay is 6% below the California figure of $124,930 a year, ranking 19th of 25 metro areas in the state. San Francisco pays the most in California at $146,760.