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Dental hygiene programs in North Carolina
North Carolina has 13 accredited campuses awarding dental hygiene credentials. If you finish and work as a dental hygienist in North Carolina, expect to start around $77,270–$84,150 and reach a median of $97,850 with experience; the top quarter earn $100,930 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, North Carolina). Graduates of these North Carolina programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $47,186 in their first year, against $51,231 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What dental hygienists earn in North Carolina
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 6,690 employed in North Carolina. National median: $98,100.
Campuses in North Carolina, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AshevilleChapel HillCharlotteFayettevilleGoldsboroHickoryJacksonvilleJamestownRaleighSanfordWeldonWilmingtonWinston-Salem
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte | Public | 50 | $56,535 | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown | Public | 23 | $48,476 | $10,500 | 31% | not reported |
| Wayne Community College | Goldsboro | Public | 27 | $47,840 | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville | Public | 20 | $47,186 | not reported | 40% | not reported |
| Coastal Carolina Community College | Jacksonville | Public | 20 | $44,751 | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Central Carolina Community College | Sanford | Public | 15 | $43,563 | not reported | 43% | not reported |
| Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh | Public | 15 | $42,566 | not reported | 33% | not reported |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville | Public | 20 | not reported | not reported | 24% | not reported |
| Halifax Community College | Weldon | Public | 17 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Catawba Valley Community College | Hickory | Public | 15 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Cape Fear Community College | Wilmington | Public | 12 | not reported | not reported | 35% | not reported |
| Forsyth Technical Community College | Winston-Salem | Public | 10 | not reported | not reported | 34% | not reported |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | Public | 1 | 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.