Healthcare

Dental Hygienist Salary in South Carolina (2026)

The average Dental Hygienist in South Carolina earns around $64,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $50,921/year ($4,243/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$50,921
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,243
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,959
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$24/hr
Federal Tax
$5,500
State Tax
$2,683
FICA Taxes
$4,896
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

20.44%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Dental Hygienist Salary Ranges in South Carolina

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$68,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$88,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$120,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Dental Hygienists earn the same — not even close

South Carolina's dental hygienist market is anchored by Medical University of South Carolina MUSC College of Dental Medicine Charleston (the only SC DDS-granting school + ~75 DDS/yr + the substantial MUSC Division of Dental Hygiene + ~30 BSDH RDHs/yr + the substantial MUSC College of Dental Medicine as one of country's substantial US dental schools + MUSC James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine + the substantial MUSC faculty practice + community dental clinics + MUSC Children's Hospital pediatric dental), Prisma Health (the largest SC non-profit healthcare system + ~30K SC employees + 18 SC hospitals + the substantial Prisma Health dental + Children's Hospital of South Carolina pediatric dental), Bon Secours Mercy Health Greenville (the substantial Bon Secours St. Francis + the substantial Upstate dental network), Roper St. Francis Healthcare Charleston (the substantial Charleston dental + Roper Hospital), Self Regional Healthcare Greenwood + McLeod Health Florence (the substantial Pee Dee dental access), the dense Charleston metro private practice cluster (Mount Pleasant + Daniel Island + Sullivan's Island + James Island + the substantial Charleston pediatric + orthodontic + cosmetic dentistry private practices), Greenville-Spartanburg + Columbia + Myrtle Beach private practice, plus substantial SC mobile + community dental access programs.

Senior RDH (Private Practice, Charleston)

$58,000–$82,000+

Senior RDH at Charleston Mount Pleasant + Daniel Island + Sullivan Island private practice · 8+ years

Periodontal RDH Specialist

$62,000–$88,000+

Periodontal practice + scaling + root planing specialty · Charleston + Greenville + Columbia

Pediatric RDH

$55,000–$78,000+

Pediatric dental practice · MUSC Children + Prisma Children + private peds

Orthodontic RDH

$52,000–$72,000+

Orthodontic practice · Invisalign + appliance management · Charleston + Greenville + Columbia

RDH (Prisma / Bon Secours / Roper)

$52,000–$72,000+

Prisma Health + Bon Secours Mercy + Roper St. Francis integrated dental · benefits-rich

RDH (MUSC College of Dental Medicine)

$48,000–$68,000+

MUSC College of Dental Medicine faculty practice + community dental clinic + academic

Temp / Contract RDH (1099)

$38/hr–$58/hr

Temp + contract 1099 RDH · Charleston + Greenville + Columbia private practice fill-in

Mid-Career RDH (3-7 yrs)

$48,000–$62,000+

Mid-career RDH transitioning to senior band · SC private practice

Entry RDH (0-2 yrs)

$42,000–$52,000+

New grad RDH · MUSC Dental Hygiene + Greenville Tech + Trident Tech + Midlands Tech pipeline

RDH Educator (MUSC / Greenville Tech)

$52,000–$72,000+

MUSC College of Dental Medicine + Greenville Tech + Trident Tech dental hygiene faculty

Worth knowing: MUSC College of Dental Medicine Charleston is the only SC DDS-granting institution and a feature most national RDH-career surveys understate for SC. MUSC College of Dental Medicine (founded 1953 + part of MUSC Medical University of South Carolina + ~75 DDS/yr + the substantial MUSC Division of Dental Hygiene + ~30 BSDH/yr + the substantial MUSC College of Dental Medicine James B. Edwards College + the substantial MUSC faculty practice + community dental clinics + MUSC Department of Periodontology + MUSC Department of Pediatric Dentistry + MUSC Department of Orthodontics + MUSC Department of Endodontics + MUSC Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery + MUSC Children's Hospital pediatric dental) supports substantial SC dental clinical training pipeline. Greenville Technical College + Trident Technical College Charleston + Midlands Technical College Columbia + Spartanburg Community College + Florence-Darlington Technical College feed the secondary SC RDH pipeline. Prisma Health (the largest SC non-profit healthcare system + ~30K SC employees + 18 SC hospitals + the substantial Prisma Health post-2017 merger of Palmetto Health + Greenville Health System + the substantial Children Hospital of South Carolina + the substantial Prisma integrated dental + medical access) supports substantial SC hospital-based + integrated RDH employment. Bon Secours Mercy Health Greenville (Bon Secours St. Francis + the substantial Upstate SC dental + Catholic healthcare ministry) + Roper St. Francis Healthcare Charleston + Self Regional Healthcare Greenwood + McLeod Health Florence + Tidelands Health Myrtle Beach anchor SC hospital-based dental. The dense Charleston + Greenville + Columbia private practice market drives the bulk of SC RDH career opportunity — senior RDH at Charleston private practice clears $58-82K. Temp/contract 1099 RDH at $38-58/hr is substantial for SC RDH supplemental income. SC RDH scope of practice is moderate — SC Board of Dentistry requires dentist supervision. SC progressive top 6.2% (post-2024 reform) + no state estate tax (repealed 2005) + SC RTW since 1954 anchor the SC RDH proposition.

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