Competitive dental hygienist wages for anyone becoming a dental hygienist will vary depending on the person’s training and education level, work experience, and the geographical area. The National Compensation Survey (NCS) is a great source to find information about the wages paid in your area, or in an area where you are relocating. Data available from NCS includes the average hourly wages in 80 metropolitan areas, and a selection of non-metropolitan area. You can also learn the national average of wages. The data is broken down by weekly and annual earnings, based on full-time employment. This information provides comparable data of dental hygienist wages if you are considering a career change, or just want to know how others are fairing wage wise. You can get detailed wage tables that can be customized by state and work level. You can also view tables created by NCS.