How much money does a dental hygienist make annually?

It seems that the national average salary for a dental hygienist right now (august, 2007) is about $30 an hour. This varies greatly based on geographic location (city/state). Most hygienists seem to be paid hourly, but some are paid daily, or salared, or paid a straight commission or a percentage of dollars produced. Benefits are all over the place ranging from no benefits all the way to full medical, full dental, profit sharing, 401-K, vacation, sick pay, holiday pay, etc etc. It seems that most dental offices will offer free or dirt cheap dental care to all their employees regardless of how many hours they work. Most jobs seem to be part-time, but it is usually flexible so you can work 2 days here and 2 days there pretty easily. Full time jobs are definitely out there, but at least half of the hygienists that I know work at 2 or more offices to keep their schedules full. In highly populated areas hygienists tend to make more, and on the west coast they tend to make more. Southern California hygienists are making $50-55 an hour (but cost of living is outrageous). In Seattle they can make $40-45 an hour. In economically depressed areas of the country hygienists are making as little as $18-20 an hour. I work full time (which is basically 4 days a week at most offices) and get full benefits and earn $36 an hour, which is pretty typical for my area. (Portland, OR)