Dental hygienists have an average annual salary of $89,890, compared to $128,490 for nurse practitioners, $130,490 for physician assistants and $214,200 for nurse anesthetists, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dental hygienists earn about $59.38 per hour in Washington, the state with the highest average hourly wage for dental hygienists, compared to the state's minimum wage of $16.28.

The highest-paying metropolitan area for dental assistants is the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., region, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dentists earn about $125.18 per hour in Vermont, the state with the highest average hourly wage for dentists, compared to the state's minimum wage of $13.67.

Dental hygienists have an average annual salary of $62,120 in Mississippi, the worst state for healthcare according to U.S. News & World Report.

Dental hygienists have an average annual salary of $91,070 in Hawaii, the best state for healthcare according to U.S. News & World Report.

Oral surgeons make an average of $361,480 in North Carolina, the highest-earning state, compared to the state's average household income of $94,353.

Orthodontists make an average of $329,620 in Michigan, the highest-earning state, compared to the state's average household income of $91,856.

The average retirement age for dentists in the U.S. has risen from 64.7 in 2001 to 68.9 in 2023, according to the American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute.

Oral surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons have the highest mean hourly wage in North Carolina, where they make an average of $173.79 per hour, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan was ranked as the top dental school in the world by QS World University Rankings and has an average tuition of $59,946 for out-of-state, first-year students.

The cost of living in Michigan, the highest-paying state for orthodontists, is $42,187 for a single adult with no children.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor was ranked as the top dental school in the world by QS World University Rankings.

The average annual salary for orthodontists has fluctuated over the past five years, rising from $230,830 in 2019 to $243,620 in 2023, a total increase of nearly $13,000, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The cost of living in North Carolina, the highest-paying state for oral surgeons, is $44,848 for a single adult with no children.

The average annual salary for dental assistants has increased each of the last five years, rising from $41,170 in 2019 to $47,350 in 2023, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Specialty dentists have the highest mean hourly wage in Connecticut, where they make an average of $150.24 per hour, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dental assistants make an average of $62,760 in Minnesota, the highest-earning state, compared to the state's average household income of $109,737.

Dental hygienists make an average of $123,510 in Washington, the highest-earning state, compared to the state's average household income of $ $125,847.

Dentists make an average of $227,200 in Delaware, the highest-earning state, compared to the state's average household income of $105,438.