Dental Hygienist Salary in Montana (2026)

Worth knowing: Montana has NO in-state DDS-granting institution — one of a handful of US states without a dental school. MT dentists must train out-of-state at University of Washington School of Dentistry Seattle + Creighton Omaha + OHSU Portland + the substantial WICHE WUE Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education professional student exchange providing the substantial MT dental school in-state tuition equivalent. This means MT RDH career opportunity is concentrated in private practice (the bulk of MT RDH employment) and in MT hospital-integrated dental at Billings Clinic + St Vincent + Bozeman Health + Providence Missoula + Logan Health, with no in-state academic dental school faculty practice. Great Falls College MSU + Salish Kootenai College Pablo (tribal college serving Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Flathead Reservation) operate the two MT dental hygiene degree programs, producing ~35 AS/BSDH RDH graduates annually combined — among the lowest per-capita RDH production rates among Mountain West states, creating substantial MT RDH demand. Billings Clinic (~5K Billings Clinic employees + the substantial Billings Clinic as MT flagship regional medical + the substantial Billings Clinic Cancer Center + the substantial Billings Clinic post-2024 expansion + the substantial Billings Clinic integrated dental) + St Vincent Healthcare Billings (SCL Health post-2022 Intermountain Health merger + the substantial St Vincent flagship Catholic medical center + the substantial Intermountain Health expansion to MT) + Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital (the substantial Bozeman Health post-2020 expansion + the substantial Bozeman Health Cancer + the substantial Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center) + Providence Health Missoula (Providence St Patrick + the substantial Community Medical Center + Providence integrated dental) + Logan Health Kalispell (post-2021 Kalispell Regional Healthcare rebrand + the substantial Logan Health Flathead Lake + Whitefish + the substantial Logan Health Glacier region) anchor MT hospital-based + integrated RDH employment. The dense Billings + Bozeman + Missoula + Great Falls private practice market drives the bulk of MT RDH career opportunity — senior RDH at Billings + Bozeman private practice clears $58-80K. The substantial Big Sky + Yellowstone Club UHNW concierge dental (post-2020 Yellowstone Club + Big Sky Resort + Whitefish + Flathead Lake UHNW remote-tech migration + the substantial Bozeman post-2020 tech boom + the substantial post-2020 CA + NY + IL UHNW migration to Bozeman + Big Sky + Whitefish) supports unique MT private dental specialty work — concierge RDH at Big Sky + Yellowstone Club clears $72-98K. MT RDH scope of practice is moderate — MT Board of Dentistry requires dentist supervision. MT progressive 4.7%/5.9% (post-2024 SB 121) + MT 0% state sales tax + MT NO estate tax + MT NOT a RTW state + MPERA public pension anchor the MT RDH proposition.