Compared with the local labor market
Dental Hygienist pay vs. the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Dental Hygienists — about 6,470 people — is $100,260. Chicago Department of Public Health pays a median base salary of $81,324 for this role, 19% below that figure — about the 19th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Chicago Department of Public Health sits in the local pay range
$74,280
$86,330
$100,260
$102,340
$118,410
Chicago Department of Public Health median · $81,324
The bar is the range of annual wages for Dental Hygienists across every employer in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Chicago Department of Public Health’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Dental Hygienists — about 222,740 people — is $98,100. Chicago Department of Public Health’s median base salary is 17% below that national figure, about the 21st percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$74,880
$83,570
$98,100
$108,480
$126,050
Chicago Department of Public Health median · $81,324
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Chicago Department of Public Health is $81,324, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.