Dental Hygienist Salary in Kentucky (2026)
The average Dental Hygienist in Kentucky earns around $64,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $51,175/year ($4,265/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $51,175 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $4,265 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $1,968 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $25/hr |
Federal Tax | $5,500 |
State Tax | $2,429 |
FICA Taxes | $4,896 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 20.04% |
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Dental Hygienist Salary Ranges in Kentucky
Not all Dental Hygienists earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's dental hygienist market is anchored by University of Kentucky UK College of Dentistry Lexington (one of two KY DDS-granting schools + ~60 DDS/yr + UK Department of Dental Hygiene + ~25 BSDH RDHs/yr + the substantial UK College of Dentistry as one of country's substantial US dental schools + UK HealthCare faculty practice + the substantial UK community dental clinics), University of Louisville UofL School of Dentistry Louisville (one of two KY DDS-granting schools + ~120 DDS/yr + UofL Dental Hygiene + the substantial UofL School of Dentistry as one of country's substantial US dental schools + UofL Hospital integrated dental), Norton Healthcare Louisville (the largest KY non-profit healthcare system + Norton Healthcare dental + Norton Children's Hospital pediatric dental), Baptist Health (Baptist Health Louisville + Baptist Health Lexington + Baptist Health Paducah dental + the substantial Baptist Health regional dental), UK HealthCare Lexington (the substantial UK HealthCare + Kentucky Children's Hospital pediatric dental), the dense Louisville East End private practice cluster (Anchorage + Glenview + Indian Hills + St. Matthews + the substantial Louisville pediatric + orthodontic + cosmetic dentistry private practices), Lexington-Fayette private practice (Tates Creek + Beaumont + Hamburg + Andover + Chevy Chase), Bowling Green + Owensboro + Paducah + Northern KY private practice, plus substantial KY mobile + community + nonprofit dental access programs.
Senior RDH (Private Practice, Louisville East End)
$58,000–$82,000+
Senior RDH at Louisville East End + Anchorage + Indian Hills private practice · 8+ years
Periodontal RDH Specialist
$62,000–$88,000+
Periodontal practice + scaling + root planing specialty · Louisville + Lexington + Northern KY
Pediatric RDH
$55,000–$78,000+
Pediatric dental practice · Norton Children + Kentucky Children + private peds
Orthodontic RDH
$52,000–$72,000+
Orthodontic practice · Invisalign + appliance management · Louisville + Lexington
RDH (Norton / Baptist / UK HealthCare)
$52,000–$72,000+
Norton Healthcare + Baptist Health + UK HealthCare integrated dental · benefits-rich
RDH (UK / UofL Dental / Academic)
$48,000–$68,000+
UK College of Dentistry + UofL School of Dentistry faculty practice + community dental · KRS pension
Temp / Contract RDH (1099)
$38/hr–$58/hr
Temp + contract 1099 RDH · Louisville + Lexington + Northern KY private practice fill-in
Mid-Career RDH (3-7 yrs)
$48,000–$62,000+
Mid-career RDH transitioning to senior band · KY private practice
Entry RDH (0-2 yrs)
$42,000–$52,000+
New grad RDH · UK Dental Hygiene + UofL + BCTC + Jefferson CTC pipeline
RDH Educator (UK / UofL / BCTC)
$52,000–$72,000+
UK College of Dentistry + UofL + BCTC + Jefferson CTC dental hygiene faculty · KRS pension
Worth knowing: Kentucky has TWO DDS-granting institutions (UK + UofL) — a distinctive KY feature most national RDH-career surveys understate. UK College of Dentistry Lexington (founded 1962 + UK HealthCare system + ~60 DDS/yr + UK Department of Dental Hygiene + ~25 BSDH/yr + the substantial UK College of Dentistry faculty practice + community dental clinics + UK Department of Periodontology + UK Department of Pediatric Dentistry + UK Department of Orthodontics) and University of Louisville UofL School of Dentistry (founded 1887 + one of country's oldest US dental schools + UofL Hospital + ~120 DDS/yr + the substantial UofL Dental Hygiene + the substantial UofL faculty practice + community dental clinics + UofL Department of Orthodontics + UofL Department of Periodontology + UofL Department of Pediatric Dentistry) together support the country's substantial Kentucky concentrated dental clinical training pipeline. Bluegrass Community and Technical College BCTC Lexington (~25 ADH/yr) + Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville + Big Sandy Community and Technical College + Owensboro Community and Technical College feed the secondary KY RDH pipeline. Norton Healthcare (the largest KY non-profit healthcare system + ~17K KY employees + ~9 hospitals + the substantial Norton Children's Hospital + the substantial Norton integrated dental + medical access) supports substantial KY hospital-based + integrated RDH employment. Baptist Health (the second-largest KY non-profit + 8 hospitals + the substantial Baptist Health regional dental coverage) + UK HealthCare (the substantial UK HealthCare + Kentucky Children's Hospital + Markey Cancer Center NCI-designated). The dense Louisville East End + Lexington-Fayette private practice market drives the bulk of KY RDH career opportunity — senior RDH at Louisville East End private practice clears $58-82K with periodontal + pediatric + orthodontic specialty adding $4-12K. Temp/contract 1099 RDH at $38-58/hr is substantial for KY RDH supplemental income. KY RDH scope of practice is moderate — KY Board of Dentistry requires dentist supervision. KY's flat 4% (post-2024 reform from 5% top) + no state estate tax + KY RTW since 2017 anchor the KY RDH proposition.
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More on Kentucky
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Kentucky in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Kentucky in 2026.
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