Dental Hygienist.
Des Moines.
$78,000
median salary, 17% below the national average
$67,000 to $86,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
A Dental Hygienist in Des Moines earns a median of $78,000 in 2026. That is 17% below the national average. The range runs from $67,000 to $86,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. State scope of practice laws directly affect pay, as states allowing hygienists to administer anesthesia and perform expanded duties offer higher wages. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Dental Hygienist in Des Moines, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $93,660 for Dental Hygienists (SOC 29-1292) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, based on 750 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$74,630
25th percentile
$83,010
Median
$93,660
75th percentile
$94,500
90th percentile
$96,060
Workers surveyed
750
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Dental Hygienists (SOC 29-1292) rather than Dental Hygienist specifically. The Des Moines range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1292Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $70,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$51,000
to $62,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$66,000
to $82,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$86,000
to $101,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$98,000
to $121,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $22,000 to the total package.
Base
$78,000
Equity
$12,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $100,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$78,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$94,000
Des Moines is $16,000 below
Dental Hygienist salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
The Dental Hygienist landscape in Des Moines is not what most salary sites will tell you. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. The metro's extremely low cost of living and strong job market make it one of the best value cities for finance professionals. Tech employment is growing as insurtech companies expand. State scope of practice laws directly affect pay, as states allowing hygienists to administer anesthesia and perform expanded duties offer higher wages. Metropolitan areas pay 15 to 25% above rural locations. Periodontal and specialty practices pay more than general dentistry offices due to clinical complexity requirements.
New hygienists start at $62,000 to $70,000 in general practice settings. Experienced hygienists with expanded function permits earn $80,000 to $95,000 after five years. Lead hygienists, educators, or those in periodontal specialty practices can reach $96,000 to $110,000 annually. In Des Moines, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 14% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Dental hygienists often receive production bonuses tied to patient volume, adding $3,000 to $8,000 annually. Benefits vary widely since many work part-time across multiple offices. Full-time positions typically include health insurance, retirement plans, and CE reimbursement. And on the tax side: iowa has a flat 3.8% state income tax. Des Moines has no city income tax. The low tax rate and affordable housing create strong purchasing power. When someone quotes you $78,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Benchmark against national insurance industry pay scales. Des Moines insurance employers must compete with remote offers from larger metros and will often match. The range for Dental Hygienists in Des Moines runs from $67,000 to $86,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Registered Nurse in Des Moines earns $79,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Des Moines is CTO at $263,000
Common questions.
Dental Hygienist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Des Moines.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Dental Hygienists in Des Moines.
Related tools.
Do you work as a dental hygienist in Des Moines?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Dental Hygienist Salary in Des Moines, IA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/dental-hygienist/des-moines
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools