Florida · Pinellas, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco counties
Dental Hygienist Salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Dental hygienists in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area earn a median annual wage of $95,870 and a mean of $91,900, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 OEWS survey. The BLS estimates 1,670 hygienists employed in the area; Florida's own license file lists 2,544 with an active license.
How much do dental hygienists earn in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
$95,870
Median annual wage
$91,900
Mean annual wage
1,670
BLS employment estimate
Both figures are as published by the BLS. The median is the midpoint and the mean is the average; either one can be the higher of the two, depending on the area. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 reference period — the most recent annual estimate the BLS public API had published as of August 4, 2026. SOC 29-1292, Dental Hygienists, CBSA 45300.
How many licensed dental hygienists are there in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
2,544 people hold an active Florida dental hygienist license with a mailing address in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater — a count from the state's own licensure file, not an estimate. 95.2% of those records carry an email address in the same file.
2,544
Licensed hygienists, active
2,423
Records with an email on file
Licensed dental hygienists by county in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
- Pinellas757
- Hernando137
- Hillsborough1,070
- Pasco580
Florida Department of Health, MQA Data Download licensure file, downloaded August 4, 2026. Counties are named because this page is about a place, not about you — the count never depends on where you're browsing from.
See the county-by-county breakdown for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater →Is the dental hygienist market more crowded in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater than elsewhere in Florida?
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ranks 2nd of 22 Florida metro areas by licensed hygienist headcount. In the same license file, there are 1.1 licensed dental hygienists for every licensed dentist in the area.
This is a density ratio between two license counts, not a ratio of open positions to job seekers — Florida's license file doesn't say who is currently looking for work or how many roles a practice has open. Read it as "how many licensed peers," not as a hiring-difficulty score.
What about general dentist salaries in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
Florida's "Dental" license bucket — which includes specialists, not only general dentists — lists 2,344 active licenses in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater. Matched against BLS SOC 29-1021 ("Dentists, General"), the May 2025 median annual wage for the area is $159,270, with a mean of $230,990.
Approximation, not a match: Florida's public license file groups every dental license — general dentists and specialists such as oral surgeons and orthodontists — under one "Dental" category. BLS SOC 29-1021 covers general dentists specifically. The license count and the wage figure are not counting the exact same population.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average dental hygienist salary in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL?
$91,900 a year, per the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey. That figure is the mean. The median — the midpoint, where half earn more and half earn less — is $95,870. The BLS publishes both, and which of the two is higher varies from one metro area to the next.
How many dental hygienists work in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater?
The BLS estimates 1,670 employed in the metro area. Separately, Florida's license file lists 2,544 people with an active hygienist license and a mailing address here — a broader count, since it includes anyone licensed in the area whether or not they're currently working.
Does Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater have more dental hygienists per dentist than other Florida metros?
There are 1.1 licensed dental hygienists per licensed dentist in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, based on the same Florida DOH file. This is a headcount ratio, not a measure of how many jobs are open.
Is this salary figure a projection for 2026?
No. It is the BLS's published May 2025 OEWS estimate — the most recent one the agency's public API had available as of August 4, 2026. This page does not project, interpolate, or adjust it forward.