Dental Hygienists in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$73,882
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$24,558
24.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$81,869
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$98,440
Kept after tax
$73,882
Worth in national money
$81,869
State rank
19
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Montana is 19 of 50 states for dental hygienists, with a middle wage of $98,440. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Montana. It ranks 50 out of 475 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Here is where Montana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $98,440 you keep $73,882, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $81,869 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $96,730, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Montana ranks 19 of 50 for dental hygienists at $98,440. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Within Montana, dental hygienists ranks 50 of 475 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- After federal, FICA and Montana income tax, retained pay for dental hygienists on $98,440 is $73,882. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $81,869 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $96,730 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Dental Hygienists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $83,060 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $98,440 |
| Top tenth earn over | $104,780 |
| This salary | $98,440 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Montana | $73,882 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $78,083 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,516 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $92,468 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,094 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Montana earn less than $98,440. The published range is $83,060 up to $104,780, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Montana's $73,882, worked from $98,440. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 50 of 475.
- One number stands for prices across all of Montana, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $81,869, the adjusted value of that $98,440 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 50 of 475 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for dental hygienists in Montana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $83,060 to $104,780. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Montana take-home of $73,882, on $98,440 for work ranking 50 of 475 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 50 of 475 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Montana, so $81,869 — the adjusted value of that $98,440 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 50 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $83,060 and the top tenth $104,780, so most people doing this work in Montana sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Montana sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $81,869 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Montana adds its own income tax on top — which is why $73,882 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($83,060 to $104,780) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $81,869 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $73,882 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.