How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make in Buffalo, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Hygienists in Buffalo, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area
A typical Dental Hygienist in Buffalo, New York earns $39.65 per hour, or $82,470 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $6,873 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $62,720, and the top 10% of earners make over $98,540.
That pay is 22% below the New York figure of $106,130 and 16% below the national figure of $98,100. Buffalo ranks 10th of 13 metro areas in New York for Dental Hygienist pay. About 760 Dental Hygienists work in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area. Buffalo is part of the Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Cheektowaga share these figures.
Dental Hygienist pay in Buffalo at a glance
- Typical pay is $39.65 an hour, or $82,470 a year.
- That is 22% below the New York figure, ranking 10th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $62,720; the top 10% make over $98,540.
- Typical pay rose +44% from 2015 to 2025, against +47% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Buffalo?
Pay in Buffalo runs from entry-level positions at around $30.15 an hour to more than $47.37 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the New York and national figures.
Dental Hygienist pay by career stage in Buffalo
| Career stage | Buffalo | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $62,720$30.15 an hour | $77,680$37.35 an hour | $74,880$36.00 an hour |
| First years | $77,610$37.31 an hour | $89,960$43.25 an hour | $83,570$40.18 an hour |
| Typical Dental Hygienist | $82,470$39.65 an hour | $106,130$51.03 an hour | $98,100$47.16 an hour |
| Experienced | $96,880$46.58 an hour | $121,740$58.53 an hour | $108,480$52.16 an hour |
| Top 10% | $98,540$47.37 an hour | $126,640$60.89 an hour | $126,050$60.60 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area as BLS defines it
Dental Hygienist pay growth in Buffalo
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Hygienists in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Dental Hygienist pay in Buffalo was $57,310 a year. By 2025 it had reached $82,470, a change of +44%, compared with +47% for New York over the same years.
How Buffalo compares with other New York cities
New York pays Dental Hygienists the most in New York at $109,720 a year, $27,250 more than Buffalo. The lowest-paying area in the state is Elmira at $73,210.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Buffalo | Dental Hygienists employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $109,720 | $52.75 | +33% | 14,230 |
| 2 | Poughkeepsie metro incl. Kiryas Joel · Newburgh | $100,600 | $48.37 | +22% | 450 |
| 3 | Kingston | $98,880 | $47.54 | +20% | 90 |
| 4 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $98,030 | $47.13 | +19% | 730 |
| 5 | Ithaca | $96,620 | $46.45 | +17% | 60 |
| 6 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $95,480 | $45.91 | +16% | 160 |
| 7 | Rochester | $93,650 | $45.02 | +14% | 940 |
| 8 | Syracuse | $93,640 | $45.02 | +14% | 580 |
| 9 | Glens Falls | $85,220 | $40.97 | +3% | 90 |
| 10 | Buffalo metro incl. Cheektowaga | $82,470 | $39.65 | this city | 760 |
| 11 | Binghamton | $81,640 | $39.25 | -1% | 190 |
| 12 | Fort Drum metro incl. Watertown | $81,170 | $39.02 | -2% | 70 |
| 13 | Elmira | $73,210 | $35.20 | -11% | 40 |
Every metro area in New York with Dental Hygienist wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $106,130
Is Buffalo a good place to work as a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists in Buffalo earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $82,470 a year, 16% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area, about 1.4 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 Buffalo, NY?
- A typical Dental Hygienist in Buffalo earns $82,470 a year, or $39.65 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $62,720 and the top 10% earn over $98,540.
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make an hour in Buffalo?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Hygienists in Buffalo is $39.65. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $30.15, and the top 10% earn over $47.37 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Hygienist in Buffalo?
- Entry-level Dental Hygienist positions in Buffalo typically offer around $30.15 an hour, or $62,720 a year.
- Is Dental Hygienist pay in Buffalo higher than in the rest of New York?
- Buffalo pay is 22% below the New York figure of $106,130 a year, ranking 10th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $109,720.