Pay by state / Delaware
DE · BLS OEWS May 2025
Dental pay in Delaware
Delaware's 750 dental hygienists earned a mean of $100,660 in May 2025, 2% above the US mean and number 16 of 50 states. BLS published no wage for Delaware's salaried general dentists; orthodontists' pay is not published for Delaware. Dental assistants earned $47,520.
- 1Dental hygienists $100,660
- 2General dentists not published
- 3Orthodontists not published
- 4Dental assistants $47,520
| Occupation | Employed | Per 1,000 jobs | DE mean | US mean | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orthodontists | – | – | – | $259,400 | – |
| General dentists | 390 | 0.809 | – | $191,350 | – |
| Dental hygienists | 750 | 1.555 | $100,660 | $98,990 | +2% |
| Dental assistants | 990 | 2.037 | $47,520 | $50,200 | -5% |
How Delaware ranks
- Orthodontists: no row at all in the BLS May 2025 state file for Delaware.
- General dentists: 390 employed; BLS does not publish their pay here.
- Dental hygienists: number 16 of 50 published states for mean pay ($100,660, median $98,910), with 1.555 per 1,000 jobs.
- Dental assistants: number 31 of 50 published states for mean pay ($47,520, median $47,600), with 2.037 per 1,000 jobs.
Delaware and the South Atlantic division
Among the 9 South Atlantic jurisdictions with published figures, Delaware ranks 4 for dental hygienists' pay; half of its hygienists earn more than $98,910 and half less. The Census Bureau groups these states as a division, which makes a fairer comparison than the national figure when living costs differ by region.
| South Atlantic | Hygienists | Dentists | Assistants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $100,660 | – | $47,520 |
| District of Columbia | $127,910 | – | $63,360 |
| Florida | $88,320 | $195,930 | $48,500 |
| Georgia | $91,220 | $214,040 | $46,870 |
| Maryland | $109,090 | $185,740 | $50,720 |
| North Carolina | $93,640 | $207,550 | $51,510 |
| South Carolina | $84,980 | $181,570 | $47,310 |
| Virginia | $105,120 | $197,820 | $47,490 |
| West Virginia | $71,290 | $200,640 | $41,280 |
Staffing in Delaware
There are 1.9 salaried hygienists for every salaried general dentist in Delaware, more than the national ratio of about 1.8 — hygienists carry more of the routine work here. Owners of practices are not counted in these BLS figures, so dentist and orthodontist numbers understate how many work in Delaware.
What it means for your braces
BLS publishes no orthodontist wage for Delaware. Wages are one input to what practices charge, alongside rent, equipment and competition, so they explain only part of why quotes differ. Your quote is what matters: put it, your insurance's orthodontic benefit and your FSA or HSA plans into the calculator.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). “–” = not published by BLS. Checked 2026-10-24. Methodology.