How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Maine?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $88,700 for Dental Hygienists in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,500 and the 75th-percentile is $94,390.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dental Hygienist salary in Maine?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $90,543 — what the $88,700 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $83,194 to $96,352.

How are Maine Dental Hygienist salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How many Dental Hygienists does Maine employ?

BLS OES counts 1,000 Dental Hygienists employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

How wide is the wage spread in Maine?

P10 to P90 spans $79,120 to $100,580. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.

DSO / corporate dental vs private practice hygienist pay in Maine?

BLS does not split DSO (dental service organization) from solo private-practice employment. In Maine, DSO chains (Aspen, Heartland, Pacific Dental, Smile Brands) have historically led on starting pay and benefits at the cost of higher production quotas and tighter scheduling. Solo private practice in Maine pays similarly on the headline rate but typically offers more autonomy on instruments, recare intervals, and patient mix. Per-day production-bonus structures in DSO settings can push experienced hygienist comp 10-20% above BLS median.

How Much Do Dental Hygienists Make in Maine? $89K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Maine Dental Hygienist median pay at $88,700. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $90,543.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #34 of 51; nominal rank is #27.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Quartile range $81,500 (bottom 25%) to $94,390 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $79,120 to $100,580.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$79,120	$80,764
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,500	$83,194
P50 (median)	$88,700	$90,543
P75 (upper quartile)	$94,390	$96,352
P90 (top tier)	$100,580	$102,670
Mean	$88,390	$90,227
Employment	1,000 Dental Hygienists in Maine

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maine index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.0
Goods	98.3
Services	148.2
Rents	80.4

Maine's overall RPP (98.0) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Maine (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Dental Hygienist)	$88,700	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$10,761	12.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,804	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,786	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$66,349	74.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$67,728	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maine state-tax burden means for Dental Hygienist take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $66,349 (74.8% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $67,728.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $94,260 for Dental Hygienists with mean pay of $93,890 and total employment of 219,070. Maine sits at #27 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maine falls 7 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Dental Hygienist make in Maine?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $88,700 for Dental Hygienists in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,500 and the 75th-percentile is $94,390.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Dental Hygienist salary in Maine?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.0 for Maine), the real-wage equivalent is $90,543 — what the $88,700 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $83,194 to $96,352.
How are Maine Dental Hygienist salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How many Dental Hygienists does Maine employ?: BLS OES counts 1,000 Dental Hygienists employed in Maine in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
How wide is the wage spread in Maine?: P10 to P90 spans $79,120 to $100,580. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.
DSO / corporate dental vs private practice hygienist pay in Maine?: BLS does not split DSO (dental service organization) from solo private-practice employment. In Maine, DSO chains (Aspen, Heartland, Pacific Dental, Smile Brands) have historically led on starting pay and benefits at the cost of higher production quotas and tighter scheduling. Solo private practice in Maine pays similarly on the headline rate but typically offers more autonomy on instruments, recare intervals, and patient mix. Per-day production-bonus structures in DSO settings can push experienced hygienist comp 10-20% above BLS median.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1292, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Maine Dental Hygienist pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.