How Much Does a Dental Hygienist Make in Vermont in 2026?

A typical Dental Hygienist in Vermont earns about $46.86 per hour ($97,470 per year), according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That breaks down to roughly $8,122 a month and $1,874 a week, both calculated from the annual figure. These numbers reflect hygienists working across general and specialty dental practices statewide. Pay still differs by experience level, employer type, and location within the state.

That figure sits about 1% below the national annual figure of $98,100 for the same role, according to the same May 2025 data. Vermont ranks 24th out of 50 states for Dental Hygienist pay, placing it in the middle of the national field. About 560 Dental Hygienists work across the state, a workforce size that helps explain why local pay tracks close to the national number rather than diverging sharply.

Entry-level positions in Vermont typically offer around $38.95 an hour, or about $81,010 a year, for hygienists just starting out. Pay tends to move toward the statewide typical figure of $97,470 within the first few years on the job. New hygienists often start in general practices before moving into specialty or higher-volume settings that pay more. This early stretch reflects experience and credentialing more than location.

Experienced Dental Hygienists in Vermont often earn upwards of $52.89 an hour, or around $110,010 a year, among the top 10% of earners. That is a spread of $29,000 between entry-level and top pay in the state. The gap tends to reflect years of experience, practice setting, and which city a hygienist works in, since specialty and higher-demand practices often pay more. Burlington-area positions and specialty clinics tend to sit toward the higher end of that range.

Vermont's typical Dental Hygienist pay rose from $66,260 in 2015 to $97,470 in 2025, a gain of $31,210 over the decade. That amounts to a 47% increase in typical pay over ten years. The rise was not perfectly steady; pay dipped slightly in 2020 before climbing sharply from 2021 through 2024. Even after a small pullback in 2025 from the prior year's figure, pay remains well above where it stood a decade earlier.

Nationally, Dental Hygienist pay rose 36% over the same decade, a smaller increase than Vermont's. That puts Vermont among the states where pay grew faster than the national trend. For someone starting a career in Vermont now, this history shows pay has moved up steadily over ten years, though nothing about future years is guaranteed.

Burlington, covering its full metro area, pays Dental Hygienists the most in Vermont, at $98,330 a year ($47.28 an hour), about 1% above the statewide figure. South Burlington, part of the same labor market and covering its own metro area, reports the same $98,330 annual figure. With only two cities tracked in the state, pay for Dental Hygienists runs fairly uniform across Vermont rather than varying sharply by location.

South Burlington is technically the lowest-paying city on record, though its $98,330 figure matches Burlington exactly, leaving a city spread of $0. Burlington also employs the most Dental Hygienists of the two, with about 250 working there. The narrow spread suggests cost of living plays less of a role between these two neighboring communities than it might across a larger state with more varied metro areas.

Vermont's neighbors generally pay more for Dental Hygienists. New York's typical figure runs $106,130 a year, about 9% higher than Vermont's, while New Hampshire sits at $101,250, about 4% higher, and Massachusetts comes in at $100,640, about 3% higher. All three neighboring states pay above Vermont's $97,470 figure. Dental hygiene licensure earned in one state can often be transferred or endorsed into a nearby state, easing a move across the region.

Dental Hygienists in Vermont typically earn $97,470 a year ($46.86 an hour), according to the latest government wage data (May 2025), after a 47% rise in pay over the past decade. Anyone weighing this career path in Vermont should check the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation's dental hygiene licensing requirements and review city-level pages for local pay figures before deciding where to work.