Dental Hygienists salary in Salt Lake City, UT
Median pay for dental hygienists in Salt Lake City, UT: $79,880/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $76,550 – $89,930 · about 1,010 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($81,085) by −$1,205 (-1%).
What it's really worth in Salt Lake City
With Salt Lake City's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $79,880 has the buying power of about $82,228 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $90,277 · median home $568,656 · median rent $1,641/mo.
How Salt Lake City ranks for this job
On raw pay, Salt Lake City, UT is 107th of the 184 metros we hold dental hygienists wages for. Once Salt Lake City's cost of living is applied, it ranks 134th.
The headline number flatters Salt Lake City. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, dental hygienists here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Salt Lake City
A median home in Salt Lake City, UT costs $568,656 — about 7.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,641/mo works out at 25% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where dental hygienists earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Salt Lake City.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Salt Lake City | Rent vs Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $137,450 | +72% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $135,460 | +70% | 2.2× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $132,360 | +66% | 2× |
| Seattle, WA | $129,410 | +62% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in UT
| Metro | Median pay | vs Salt Lake City | Rent vs Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provo, UT | $81,260 | +2% | 1.1× |
| Ogden, UT | $77,730 | −3% | 1× |
Staying in UT keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires dental hygienists around Salt Lake City
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Intermountain Healthcare · Healthcare
Other jobs in Salt Lake City
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 184 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.