How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make in Watertown, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Dental Hygienists in Watertown, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Watertown · Fort Drum metro area
A typical Dental Hygienist in Watertown, New York earns $39.02 per hour, or $81,170 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $6,764 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $61,320, and the top 10% of earners make over $104,680.
That pay is 24% below the New York figure of $106,130 and 17% below the national figure of $98,100. Watertown ranks 12th of 13 metro areas in New York for Dental Hygienist pay. About 70 Dental Hygienists work in the Watertown · Fort Drum area. Watertown is part of the Watertown · Fort Drum metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Fort Drum share these figures.
Dental Hygienist pay in Watertown at a glance
- Typical pay is $39.02 an hour, or $81,170 a year.
- That is 24% below the New York figure, ranking 12th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $61,320; the top 10% make over $104,680.
- Typical pay rose +51% from 2015 to 2025, against +47% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Watertown?
Pay in Watertown runs from entry-level positions at around $29.48 an hour to more than $50.33 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 Watertown
| Career stage | Watertown | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $61,320$29.48 an hour | $77,680$37.35 an hour | $74,880$36.00 an hour |
| First years | $80,080$38.50 an hour | $89,960$43.25 an hour | $83,570$40.18 an hour |
| Typical Dental Hygienist | $81,170$39.02 an hour | $106,130$51.03 an hour | $98,100$47.16 an hour |
| Experienced | $99,570$47.87 an hour | $121,740$58.53 an hour | $108,480$52.16 an hour |
| Top 10% | $104,680$50.33 an hour | $126,640$60.89 an hour | $126,050$60.60 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Watertown · Fort Drum area as BLS defines it
Dental Hygienist pay growth in Watertown
Typical (median) annual wage for Dental Hygienists in the Watertown · Fort Drum area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Dental Hygienist pay in Watertown was $53,860 a year. By 2025 it had reached $81,170, a change of +51%, compared with +47% for New York over the same years.
How Watertown compares with other New York cities
New York pays Dental Hygienists the most in New York at $109,720 a year, $28,550 more than Watertown. The lowest-paying area in the state is Elmira at $73,210.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Watertown | Dental Hygienists employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $109,720 | $52.75 | +35% | 14,230 |
| 2 | Poughkeepsie metro incl. Kiryas Joel · Newburgh | $100,600 | $48.37 | +24% | 450 |
| 3 | Kingston | $98,880 | $47.54 | +22% | 90 |
| 4 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $98,030 | $47.13 | +21% | 730 |
| 5 | Ithaca | $96,620 | $46.45 | +19% | 60 |
| 6 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $95,480 | $45.91 | +18% | 160 |
| 7 | Rochester | $93,650 | $45.02 | +15% | 940 |
| 8 | Syracuse | $93,640 | $45.02 | +15% | 580 |
| 9 | Glens Falls | $85,220 | $40.97 | +5% | 90 |
| 10 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $82,470 | $39.65 | +2% | 760 |
| 11 | Binghamton | $81,640 | $39.25 | +1% | 190 |
| 12 | Watertown metro incl. Fort Drum | $81,170 | $39.02 | this city | 70 |
| 13 | Elmira | $73,210 | $35.20 | -10% | 40 |
Every metro area in New York with Dental Hygienist wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $106,130
Is Watertown a good place to work as a Dental Hygienist?
Dental Hygienists in Watertown earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $81,170 a year, 17% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Watertown · Fort Drum area, about 1.8 are Dental Hygienist positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.4. That makes the local economy more reliant on Dental Hygienists than most places, and turnover keeps positions opening through the year.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Watertown, NY?
- A typical Dental Hygienist in Watertown earns $81,170 a year, or $39.02 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $61,320 and the top 10% earn over $104,680.
- How much does a Dental Hygienist make an hour in Watertown?
- Typical hourly pay for Dental Hygienists in Watertown is $39.02. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $29.48, and the top 10% earn over $50.33 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Dental Hygienist in Watertown?
- Entry-level Dental Hygienist positions in Watertown typically offer around $29.48 an hour, or $61,320 a year.
- Is Dental Hygienist pay in Watertown higher than in the rest of New York?
- Watertown pay is 24% below the New York figure of $106,130 a year, ranking 12th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $109,720.