Dental hygienist salary in Australia
If you are researching a career as a dental hygienist in Australia, the most reliable salary figure comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025. According to that survey, as reported by Jobs and Skills Australia, the median full-time weekly earnings for the occupation group Dental Hygienists, Technicians and Therapists is $2,210. That works out to about $114,920 a year (before tax) for a full-time worker.
This figure is a median, not an average. It means half of full-time workers in this group earn more than $2,210 a week and half earn less. The group includes dental hygienists, dental technicians, and dental therapists, so individual roles may vary. The median hourly earnings for the group are $55.
How it compares with the national average
The national benchmark used on this site is the full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey. For May 2026, that figure is $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year (multiplied by 52). This is the average across all full-time adults in Australia, covering every industry and occupation.
The dental hygienist median of $2,210 is about 6% higher than the national full-time average. It is also well above the national full-time median of about $1,741 a week ($90,532 a year) and the all-employees median of about $1,425 a week ($74,100 a year).
For context, the national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week for a 38-hour week (about $52,255 a year). Award minimums for health professionals are higher; for example, the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 sets a minimum weekly rate of $1,024.70 for a Level 1 support services employee, rising to $1,497.80 for Level 9.
Take-home pay after tax
Using the 2026–27 resident tax rates, a dental hygienist earning the median of $114,920 a year would pay an estimated $27,294 in tax and Medicare levy, leaving a take-home pay of about $87,626 a year, or $1,685 a week. This is a rough calculation: the first $18,200 is tax-free, then 15% on the next $26,800, 30% on the next $90,000, plus 2% Medicare levy. Actual tax may differ due to deductions, HELP repayments, or other factors.
By comparison, someone earning the national full-time average of $108,352 would take home about $83,400 a year.
State and territory comparisons
The national full-time average earnings vary across Australia. The highest full-time average is in the Australian Capital Territory ($119,090 a year), followed by Western Australia ($115,825) and New South Wales ($109,658). The lowest is in Tasmania ($96,008). A dental hygienist median of $114,920 sits above the national average but below the ACT and WA averages.
Place a salary on the line to see how any income compares with the national average, or browse job medians for other occupations.
What the data does not tell us
The median from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours is the best available figure for dental hygienists, but it is not a precise average and it covers a group of related occupations. Individual salaries depend on experience, location, employer, and whether you work in the public or public sector. The Fair Work Ombudsman also provides award minimum rates for health professionals, which set a legal minimum but do not reflect typical earnings.
For a full picture, consider using the Guides for more detailed guidance on how salaries are set and how the figures are calculated.
Summary
- Median full-time weekly earnings: $2,210 (ABS, May 2025)
- National full-time average: $2,084 ($108,352 a year)
- Estimated take-home pay (median): about $87,626 a year
- National minimum wage: $1,004.90 a week ($52,255 a year)
This page uses the national full-time average as the reference line. The dental hygienist median sits above that line.