The average salary for a Dental Hygienist in Norfolk is 70,894 $ per year on a 40-hour full-time equivalent, or 5,908 $ gross per month and 34.08 $ gross per hour. The reported full-time salary range is 43,500 $ to 97,333 $. The analysis is based on 30 salary reports from workers and employers in Norfolk. Part-time salaries are proportionally converted to 40 weekly hours so the values are comparable.
| Date | Job title | Weekly hours | Reported gross/year | Normalized to 40h/year | Gross/month 40h | Gross/hour 40h | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/20/2026 | Travel Dental Hygienist (contract) | 40.0 h | 95,000 $ | 95,000 $ | 7,917 $ | 45.67 $ | I worked several high-paying travel contracts across the region and reported this as my annual gross. Contracts paid better than staff roles but required flexibility and travel. |
| 09/03/2025 | Clinical Dental Hygienist - Hospital Dental Department | 40.0 h | 88,200 $ | 88,200 $ | 7,350 $ | 42.40 $ | I worked full time in a large hospital-affiliated dental department with specialized clinics. My role involved complex patient management and interdisciplinary coordination. |
| 06/30/2025 | Self-employed Dental Hygienist (mobile practice) | 30.0 h | 73,000 $ | 97,333 $ | 8,111 $ | 46.79 $ | I started a mobile hygienist service and worked part time, about 30 hours/week. My gross annual came from client visits, corporate screenings, and a few recurring clinic contracts. |
| 01/11/2025 | Hygiene Coordinator | 42.0 h | 91,800 $ | 87,429 $ | 7,286 $ | 42.03 $ | I held a management role coordinating hygiene across multiple locations, working extended full-time hours. My responsibilities included staffing, budgeting, and clinical oversight. |
| 11/11/2024 | Practice Co-Owner / Head Hygienist | 45.0 h | 105,000 $ | 93,333 $ | 7,778 $ | 44.87 $ | I am a co-owner and head hygienist at a small multi-location practice. I work extended hours managing operations, mentoring staff, and maintaining a patient caseload. |
| 07/15/2024 | Senior Hygienist / Trainer | 40.0 h | 85,200 $ | 85,200 $ | 7,100 $ | 40.96 $ | I worked full time as a senior hygienist and trainer for a regional practice. I developed training protocols and oversaw clinical competency checks for new hires. |
| 03/22/2024 | Hygiene Manager | 44.0 h | 89,500 $ | 81,364 $ | 6,780 $ | 39.12 $ | I worked as the hygiene manager for a regional office, overseeing the hygiene team, hiring, and scheduling. I worked extended hours and had leadership responsibilities in addition to clinical care. |
| 11/02/2023 | Clinical Dental Hygienist | 38.0 h | 80,300 $ | 84,526 $ | 7,044 $ | 40.64 $ | I worked almost full time (38 hours) in an advanced periodontal program and had specialized training. My focus was on periodontal maintenance and patient counseling. |
| 07/29/2023 | Lead Hygienist (small practice) | 38.0 h | 82,700 $ | 87,053 $ | 7,254 $ | 41.85 $ | I worked nearly full time at a small but busy practice where I led the hygiene team and handled complex cases and patient education initiatives. |
| 05/18/2023 | Senior Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 81,500 $ | 81,500 $ | 6,792 $ | 39.18 $ | I was a senior hygienist at a large group practice with specialized periodontal work and mentoring duties. I worked full time and had over a decade of experience. |
| 09/17/2022 | Lead Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 77,900 $ | 77,900 $ | 6,492 $ | 37.45 $ | I was promoted to lead hygienist in a busy multi-doctor office. I worked full time and supervised clinical workflow while still maintaining a patient schedule. |
| 04/05/2022 | Associate Hygienist - Private Practice | 40.0 h | 74,200 $ | 74,200 $ | 6,183 $ | 35.67 $ | I was an associate hygienist at a busy private practice, working full time with solid patient volume. I was involved in patient care coordination and recall systems. |
| 02/10/2022 | Lead Dental Hygienist | 42.0 h | 76,200 $ | 72,571 $ | 6,048 $ | 34.89 $ | I was the lead hygienist at a multi-provider office and worked slightly extended full-time hours supervising two other hygienists and coordinating hygiene schedules. |
| 10/21/2021 | Self-employed Per Diem Hygienist | 28.0 h | 48,300 $ | 69,000 $ | 5,750 $ | 33.17 $ | I did per diem/self-employed work averaging about 28 hours per week, covering multiple practices. My income came from hourly contracts rather than a salaried position. |
| 07/14/2021 | Registered Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 68,000 $ | 68,000 $ | 5,667 $ | 32.69 $ | I worked full time in a medium-sized practice and had around seven years of experience. My duties included routine hygiene, local anesthesia, and periodic training of interns. |
| 03/08/2021 | Dental Hygienist - Large Group Practice | 40.0 h | 69,800 $ | 69,800 $ | 5,817 $ | 33.56 $ | I worked full time at a large group practice with standardized protocols. I had several years of experience and handled high daily patient volume. |
| 12/22/2020 | Per Diem Dental Hygienist | 20.0 h | 28,200 $ | 56,400 $ | 4,700 $ | 27.12 $ | I worked per diem through 2020 and averaged about 20 hours per week. Volume dropped during the pandemic; my work was largely preventive cleanings and screenings. |
| 08/01/2020 | Travel Dental Hygienist (contract) | 40.0 h | 59,000 $ | 59,000 $ | 4,917 $ | 28.37 $ | I took a contract travel hygienist position during 2020; it was full time but the pandemic affected patient volume and scheduling. I performed standard hygiene care in several clinics on short-term contracts. |
| 05/30/2020 | Senior Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 66,500 $ | 66,500 $ | 5,542 $ | 31.97 $ | I worked full time through 2020 and had several years of clinical experience; pandemic scheduling reduced raises and patient flow that year. |
| 10/09/2019 | Senior Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 71,200 $ | 71,200 $ | 5,933 $ | 34.23 $ | I had a senior clinical role at a busy practice and worked full time. I handled complex periodontal maintenance and led in-service trainings for the staff. |
| 06/15/2019 | Senior Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 70,500 $ | 70,500 $ | 5,875 $ | 33.89 $ | I was a senior hygienist at a busy private practice with over ten years of experience. I worked full time and took on more complex periodontal maintenance and mentoring responsibilities. |
| 02/13/2019 | Dental Hygienist - Pediatric Focus | 36.0 h | 55,900 $ | 62,111 $ | 5,176 $ | 29.86 $ | I worked reduced full-time hours (36/week) in a pediatric office. My role involved behavior management techniques and preventive treatments for children. |
| 11/20/2018 | Clinical Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 61,200 $ | 61,200 $ | 5,100 $ | 29.42 $ | I was a mid-level hygienist at a medium-sized family practice. I worked full time, handled standard hygiene duties, and occasionally trained newer hygienists. I had about five years of experience. |
| 08/25/2018 | New Graduate Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 52,200 $ | 52,200 $ | 4,350 $ | 25.10 $ | I reported this salary as a new graduate starting in a private practice. I worked full time and performed routine cleanings and charting while gaining hands-on experience. |
| 03/14/2018 | Clinical Dental Hygienist | 36.0 h | 53,800 $ | 59,778 $ | 4,981 $ | 28.74 $ | I was a mid-level clinician working reduced full-time hours (36/week) at a pediatric-focused office. My tasks included scaling, fluoride treatments, and patient education. |
| 11/27/2017 | Registered Dental Hygienist | 40.0 h | 58,500 $ | 58,500 $ | 4,875 $ | 28.13 $ | I worked full time at a small private practice and had four years of experience. The practice was stable but smaller than the regional groups, so compensation was modest. |
| 06/08/2017 | Part-time Dental Hygienist | 24.0 h | 30,000 $ | 50,000 $ | 4,167 $ | 24.04 $ | I worked part time at a suburban practice while raising a family. My duties were standard hygiene care and patient education; I had a few years of experience. |
| 04/03/2017 | Clinical Dental Hygienist | 25.0 h | 30,500 $ | 48,800 $ | 4,067 $ | 23.46 $ | I worked part time (evenings) at a neighborhood dental office while finishing school. I did prophylaxis and charting and had under a year of experience at the time of this report. |
| 12/05/2016 | Dental Hygienist - Community Clinic | 32.0 h | 34,800 $ | 43,500 $ | 3,625 $ | 20.91 $ | I worked part time at a nonprofit community clinic providing basic hygiene services to underserved patients. My workload was steady but hours were limited, and I had about three years of experience. |
| 09/12/2016 | Registered Dental Hygienist | 38.0 h | 52,000 $ | 54,737 $ | 4,561 $ | 26.32 $ | I was hired as an entry-level hygienist at a small private practice and worked full time. I had about two years of experience when I reported this salary and performed routine cleanings, x-rays, and patient education. |
Norfolk sits at the center of the Hampton Roads region, a large coastal metro anchored by military installations, shipbuilding, higher education, and healthcare. That regional mix supports steady demand for preventive oral healthcare, and Dental Hygienists in Norfolk typically see a consistent hiring market across private practices, group practices, public health programs, and military clinics. National projections point to faster-than-average growth for this occupation, and local employers in and around Norfolk often report ongoing needs tied to patient volume, schedule expansion, and replacement hiring.
Two local dynamics continue to shape demand. First, the U.S. Navy presence at Naval Station Norfolk and the nearby Naval Medical Center Portsmouth brings a sizable population of service members and families who regularly seek dental services through military clinics and civilian providers. Second, Virginia’s expansion of adult dental benefits in Medicaid beginning in 2021 has increased preventive and periodontal care utilization in many safety-net and community clinics across Hampton Roads. Together with a broader industry push toward prevention, these trends generally keep Dental Hygienist roles in Norfolk in demand.
Norfolk is part of the Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News metropolitan area, so job postings and career paths often span city lines. Employers in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, and Suffolk commonly recruit from the same talent pool. Graduates from nearby programs—such as Old Dominion University’s well-known School of Dental Hygiene and Tidewater Community College’s accredited dental hygiene program—add a steady pipeline of early-career candidates. Even with that pipeline, many practices in the region report periodic shortages or competition for experienced hygienists, especially for later afternoon, evening, or Saturday shifts.
Hygienists in Norfolk typically work in general dentistry, periodontics, pediatric dentistry, and community health. Virginia practice rules allow dental hygienists, with proper permits, to administer local anesthesia and nitrous oxide and to work under general or remote supervision in certain public health settings. Those policies can broaden where and how hygienists practice, including school-based sealant programs, mobile units, and safety-net clinics.
Dental Hygienists in Norfolk and the greater Hampton Roads area are hired by a mix of private, public, and academic organizations. Examples include:
In addition, many independent practices in Norfolk neighborhoods—such as Ghent, Ocean View, and Downtown—regularly post openings for full-time and part-time hygienists to meet patient demand and cover expanded hours.
Norfolk-based Dental Hygienists can choose from several career tracks:
Because Hampton Roads is geographically connected by bridges and tunnels, many professionals in Norfolk consider opportunities throughout the metro to widen their options. Employers frequently emphasize patient education, perio maintenance, and team-based care, and they often value candidates who are comfortable with evidence-based protocols, same-day treatment planning with dentists, and community outreach. Overall, the Norfolk market typically offers a healthy mix of settings for Dental Hygienists, with steady hiring and room to grow into leadership, education, or public health roles.
The average salary for a Dental Hygienist in Norfolk is 70,894 $ per year on a 40-hour basis, or 5,908 $ gross per month.
Part-time and full-time reports are normalized to a 40-hour workweek so salary reports can be compared fairly.
You can find more comparisons on the profession overview for Dental Hygienist and the city overview for Norfolk. They show reported cities or jobs with their difference from the average.
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