How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make in Santa Barbara, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Hygienists in Santa Barbara, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area
A typical Dental Hygienist in Santa Barbara, California earns $65.38 per hour, or $135,990 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $11,333 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $106,210, and the top 10% of earners make over $151,030.
That pay is 9% above the California figure of $124,930 and 39% above the national figure of $98,100. Santa Barbara ranks 4th of 25 metro areas in California for Dental Hygienist pay. About 260 Dental Hygienists work in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area. Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Santa Maria share these figures.
Dental Hygienist pay in Santa Barbara at a glance
- Typical pay is $65.38 an hour, or $135,990 a year.
- That is 9% above the California figure, ranking 4th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $106,210; the top 10% make over $151,030.
- Typical pay rose +44% from 2015 to 2025, against +29% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Santa Barbara?
Pay in Santa Barbara runs from entry-level positions at around $51.06 an hour to more than $72.61 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 Santa Barbara
| Career stage | Santa Barbara | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $106,210$51.06 an hour | $102,090$49.08 an hour | $74,880$36.00 an hour |
| First years | $122,690$58.99 an hour | $109,730$52.76 an hour | $83,570$40.18 an hour |
| Typical Dental Hygienist | $135,990$65.38 an hour | $124,930$60.06 an hour | $98,100$47.16 an hour |
| Experienced | $138,370$66.52 an hour | $132,120$63.52 an hour | $108,480$52.16 an hour |
| Top 10% | $151,030$72.61 an hour | $151,920$73.04 an hour | $126,050$60.60 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area as BLS defines it
Dental Hygienist pay growth in Santa Barbara
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Hygienists in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Dental Hygienist pay in Santa Barbara was $94,320 a year. By 2025 it had reached $135,990, a change of +44%, compared with +29% for California over the same years.
How Santa Barbara compares with other California cities
San Francisco pays Dental Hygienists the most in California at $146,760 a year, $10,770 more than Santa Barbara. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $98,240.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Barbara | Dental Hygienists employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | $146,760 | $70.56 | +8% | 3,780 |
| 2 | Santa Clara | $139,990 | $67.30 | +3% | 1,620 |
| 3 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $136,210 | $65.49 | 0% | 310 |
| 4 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $135,990 | $65.38 | this city | 260 |
| 5 | Napa | $131,370 | $63.16 | -3% | 100 |
| 6 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $130,600 | $62.79 | -4% | 220 |
| 7 | Vallejo | $128,570 | $61.81 | -5% | 270 |
| 8 | Ventura metro incl. Oxnard · Thousand Oaks | $126,530 | $60.83 | -7% | 500 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $125,670 | $60.42 | -8% | 220 |
| 10 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $125,130 | $60.16 | -8% | 480 |
| 11 | Yuba City | $124,780 | $59.99 | -8% | 60 |
| 12 | Modesto | $123,910 | $59.57 | -9% | 390 |
| 13 | Chula Vista | $123,790 | $59.52 | -9% | 1,940 |
| 14 | Long Beach metro incl. Anaheim · Los Angeles | $122,980 | $59.12 | -10% | 7,940 |
| 15 | Roseville metro incl. Sacramento · Folsom | $122,540 | $58.92 | -10% | 2,200 |
| 16 | Salinas | $122,370 | $58.83 | -10% | 240 |
| 17 | Chico | $118,800 | $57.12 | -13% | 150 |
| 18 | Redding | $118,130 | $56.79 | -13% | 130 |
| 19 | Merced | $117,400 | $56.44 | -14% | 100 |
| 20 | El Centro | $115,870 | $55.71 | -15% | 40 |
| 21 | Bakersfield metro incl. Delano | $114,380 | $54.99 | -16% | 340 |
| 22 | Corcoran metro incl. Hanford | $113,160 | $54.41 | -17% | 80 |
| 23 | San Bernardino | $105,730 | $50.83 | -22% | 1,860 |
| 24 | Fresno | $101,730 | $48.91 | -25% | 530 |
| 25 | Visalia | $98,240 | $47.23 | -28% | 200 |
Every metro area in California with Dental Hygienist wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $124,930
Is Santa Barbara a good place to work as a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists in Santa Barbara earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $135,990 a year, 39% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Maria · Santa Barbara area, about 1.3 are Dental Hygienist positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.5. 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 Santa Barbara, CA?
- A typical Dental Hygienist in Santa Barbara earns $135,990 a year, or $65.38 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $106,210 and the top 10% earn over $151,030.
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make an hour in Santa Barbara?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Hygienists in Santa Barbara is $65.38. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $51.06, and the top 10% earn over $72.61 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Hygienist in Santa Barbara?
- Entry-level Dental Hygienist positions in Santa Barbara typically offer around $51.06 an hour, or $106,210 a year.
- Is Dental Hygienist pay in Santa Barbara higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Barbara pay is 9% above the California figure of $124,930 a year, ranking 4th of 25 metro areas in the state. San Francisco pays the most in California at $146,760.