Dental Hygienist Salary in Idaho (2026)

Worth knowing: Idaho has NO in-state DDS-granting institution — one of a handful of US states without a dental school. ID dentists must train out-of-state at Creighton Omaha + Marquette Milwaukee + Pacific San Francisco + OHSU Portland + University of Utah School of Dentistry + the substantial WICHE WUE professional student exchange. This means ID RDH career opportunity is concentrated in private practice (the bulk of ID RDH employment) and in ID hospital-integrated dental at St Luke's Health System + Saint Alphonsus + Eastern Idaho Regional + Bingham Memorial + Kootenai Health, with no in-state academic dental school faculty practice. Idaho State University ISU College of Pharmacy and Dental Hygiene Pocatello (the only ID 4-year BSDH program + the substantial ISU Advanced Education in General Dentistry AEGD residency + the substantial ISU dental hygiene faculty) + College of Western Idaho CWI Nampa + College of Eastern Idaho CEI Idaho Falls + North Idaho College Coeur d'Alene operate the four ID dental hygiene degree programs, producing ~100 AS/BSDH RDH graduates annually combined. St Luke's Health System (the largest ID health system + ~16K St Luke's employees + the substantial St Luke's Boise Medical Center + St Luke's Magic Valley Twin Falls + St Luke's Wood River Ketchum + St Luke's McCall + St Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute + the substantial St Luke's Children's pediatric dental + the substantial St Luke's integrated dental) + Saint Alphonsus Health System Boise (Trinity Health + the substantial Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center + the substantial Saint Alphonsus Nampa + Ontario OR + Baker City OR) + Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Idaho Falls (HCA Healthcare) + Kootenai Health Coeur d'Alene + Bingham Memorial Pocatello + Madison Memorial Rexburg anchor ID hospital-based + integrated RDH employment. The dense Boise + Meridian + Idaho Falls + Coeur d'Alene private practice market drives the bulk of ID RDH career opportunity — senior RDH at Boise + Meridian + Eagle private practice clears $60-82K. The substantial Sun Valley + Coeur d'Alene UHNW concierge dental (post-2020 CA + WA remote-tech migration to Sun Valley + Ketchum + Hailey + Coeur d'Alene + the substantial Sun Valley Resort + the substantial Wood River Valley UHNW + the substantial post-2020 CA 13.3% + WA 7% capital gains vs ID 5.3% flat differential) supports unique ID private dental specialty work. ID RDH scope of practice is moderate — ID Board of Dentistry requires dentist supervision. ID 5.3% flat + ID 6% sales tax + ID NO estate tax + ID IS a Right-to-Work state (signed 1985) + Idaho PERSI public pension anchor the ID RDH proposition.