Dental Hygienists salary in South Carolina

Dental Hygienists in South Carolina earned a median annual wage of $81,710 in 2024, about 13% below the US median of $94,162. That gap is notable, though South Carolina's cost of living runs slightly below the national average. Once you account for what the money actually buys here, the real difference narrows to something closer to 9%.

The spread between lower- and higher-earning hygienists in the state is tighter than we see in many other occupations. The 10th percentile came in at $63,950, while the 90th percentile reached $94,810, a difference of roughly $31,000. The 25th to 75th percentile range is even narrower, from $77,420 to $91,810. That kind of compression suggests pay for this role does not vary as widely by experience or practice setting as it does in fields with more seniority rungs or specialty tiers. Also worth noting: the mean wage of $81,550 sits just below the median, which means the top earners here are not pulling the average up the way they do in some other professions.

BLS projects employment for Dental Hygienists to grow 7% between 2024 and 2034, a pace it classifies as faster than average. The state's 3,200 employed hygienists represent a solid occupational base relative to South Carolina's overall workforce size.

What the nominal gap with the national median does not show is that South Carolina's cost of living index sits at 96.6 against a national baseline of 100. Housing and services run cheaper than in states where hygienist wages are higher, so the headline difference overstates how far behind the purchasing power actually is.