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Dental hygiene programs in California
California has 21 accredited campuses awarding dental hygiene credentials. If you finish and work as a dental hygienist in California, expect to start around $102,090–$109,730 and reach a median of $124,930 with experience; the top quarter earn $132,120 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, California). Graduates of these California programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $64,385 in their first year, against $51,231 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What dental hygienists earn in California
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 24,500 employed in California. National median: $98,100.
Campuses in California, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AptosChula VistaCypressFresnoGarden GroveHaywardMoreno ValleyNorwalkOntarioOxnardPasadenaPleasant HillReddingSacramentoSan BernardinoSan DiegoSan JoseSanta RosaTaftVisalia
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chabot College | Hayward | Public | 25 | $92,408 | not reported | 47% | not reported |
| Concorde Career College-San Diego | San Diego | for-profit | 24 | $75,333 | $26,125 | 76% | $30,461 |
| Concorde Career College-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | for-profit | 22 | $67,776 | $26,125 | 76% | $31,359 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario | Ontario | for-profit | 55 | $65,493 | $20,000 | 64% | $31,279 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia | Visalia | for-profit | 25 | $65,493 | $20,000 | not reported | $33,136 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa | Public | 22 | $64,830 | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Carrington College-Sacramento | Sacramento | for-profit | 59 | $63,941 | $29,523 | not reported | $45,593 |
| Carrington College-San Jose | San Jose | for-profit | 29 | $63,941 | $29,523 | 60% | $41,194 |
| Concorde Career College-Garden Grove | Garden Grove | for-profit | 23 | $63,251 | $26,125 | 84% | $29,040 |
| Cerritos College | Norwalk | Public | 17 | $62,409 | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | Public | 24 | $55,232 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley | Public | 17 | $47,132 | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Cypress College | Cypress | Public | 151 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Public | 33 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | Public | 26 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Cabrillo College | Aptos | Public | 19 | not reported | not reported | 38% | not reported |
| Diablo Valley College | Pleasant Hill | Public | 18 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Oxnard College | Oxnard | Public | 16 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Taft College | Taft | Public | 16 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sacramento City College | Sacramento | Public | 14 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| Shasta College | Redding | Public | 4 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.