Surgical tech salary
One state pays surgical techs $33,000 more than another. See where yours ranks, what moves your pay, and how to tell if you're underpaid.
What surgical techs make.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for 117,460 surgical technologists. These are the government's figures, not ours.
Surgical tech salary by state.
The same job pays $49,110 in West Virginia and $82,640 in Hawaii, and in most states the middle half of techs are more than $15,000 apart. If you're under your state's middle half, that's worth knowing before your next review.
| State | A year | An hour | Middle half | Techs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $82,640 | $39.73 | $59,810–$88,160 | 290 |
| Oregon | $81,390 | $39.13 | $73,190–$94,640 | 1,090 |
| California | $81,310 | $39.09 | $64,380–$99,260 | 11,920 |
| Massachusetts | $80,870 | $38.88 | $68,830–$98,300 | 2,220 |
| Alaska | $80,380 | $38.65 | $63,480–$93,470 | 310 |
| Minnesota | $80,210 | $38.56 | $72,730–$86,420 | 1,770 |
| Connecticut | $79,890 | $38.41 | $59,120–$95,050 | 1,220 |
| New York | $79,550 | $38.25 | $64,390–$98,140 | 6,540 |
| District of Columbia | $77,520 | $37.27 | $49,260–$83,780 | 340 |
| Washington | $77,270 | $37.15 | $62,330–$90,620 | 2,510 |
| New Jersey | $77,200 | $37.12 | $64,440–$85,700 | 2,780 |
| Colorado | $75,740 | $36.41 | $62,930–$83,000 | 2,100 |
| Nevada | $75,480 | $36.29 | $59,730–$84,930 | 1,110 |
| New Hampshire | $75,040 | $36.08 | $65,280–$81,570 | 370 |
| Rhode Island | $74,130 | $35.64 | $63,800–$81,520 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $74,120 | $35.64 | $63,030–$79,010 | 2,180 |
| Idaho | $72,550 | $34.88 | $61,490–$77,640 | 1,100 |
| Arizona | $72,260 | $34.74 | $62,620–$83,550 | 2,410 |
| Maryland | $68,970 | $33.16 | $60,310–$81,390 | 1,880 |
| Virginia | $67,580 | $32.49 | $59,110–$84,100 | 1,910 |
| Texas | $65,220 | $31.35 | $50,100–$80,790 | 10,160 |
| Illinois | $64,650 | $31.08 | $60,160–$77,670 | 3,570 |
| Indiana | $64,240 | $30.89 | $60,240–$77,210 | 2,680 |
| Georgia | $64,010 | $30.77 | $50,480–$78,410 | 4,380 |
| Nebraska | $63,880 | $30.71 | $57,700–$68,840 | 770 |
| Michigan | $63,320 | $30.44 | $51,890–$76,470 | 3,840 |
| Maine | $62,860 | $30.22 | $56,240–$75,270 | 470 |
| Utah | $62,720 | $30.15 | $49,200–$76,950 | 1,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $62,680 | $30.14 | $52,060–$72,020 | 4,490 |
| Florida | $62,440 | $30.02 | $52,410–$75,170 | 9,120 |
| Ohio | $62,420 | $30.01 | $55,380–$73,790 | 3,730 |
| Delaware | $62,250 | $29.93 | $54,540–$74,030 | 340 |
| South Carolina | $62,160 | $29.89 | $52,140–$67,080 | 2,680 |
| North Dakota | $61,640 | $29.63 | $52,950–$62,730 | 370 |
| Oklahoma | $61,190 | $29.42 | $52,720–$65,120 | 1,940 |
| Missouri | $61,120 | $29.39 | $50,690–$68,410 | 2,100 |
| Montana | $60,970 | $29.31 | $49,170–$70,580 | 490 |
| North Carolina | $60,920 | $29.29 | $51,540–$68,520 | 4,400 |
| Vermont | $60,660 | $29.17 | $51,040–$72,270 | 140 |
| Kansas | $60,600 | $29.13 | $49,010–$67,570 | 1,200 |
| Iowa | $60,540 | $29.11 | $50,680–$62,880 | 950 |
| Tennessee | $60,530 | $29.10 | $51,310–$64,430 | 3,310 |
| Kentucky | $60,490 | $29.08 | $50,300–$66,630 | 1,440 |
| South Dakota | $59,870 | $28.79 | $51,720–$63,900 | 600 |
| Wyoming | $58,850 | $28.29 | $50,300–$64,980 | 210 |
| Arkansas | $57,400 | $27.60 | $47,520–$63,400 | 1,640 |
| Louisiana | $57,370 | $27.58 | $47,410–$62,790 | 2,230 |
| New Mexico | $51,780 | $24.90 | $47,500–$64,800 | 540 |
| Mississippi | $49,810 | $23.95 | $47,120–$59,590 | 1,110 |
| Alabama | $49,420 | $23.76 | $39,270–$59,990 | 2,480 |
| West Virginia | $49,110 | $23.61 | $39,520–$61,610 | 580 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,600 | $14.71 | $26,880–$34,200 | 1,080 |
Median pay by state, highest first, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
Hawaii, Oregon, California and Massachusetts pay the most, and they are also among the most expensive places to live. Minnesota and Wisconsin stand out: both pay well above the national median without coastal housing costs. California, Texas and Florida have the most jobs, with 31,200 techs between them.
Hospital or surgery center.
Surgery centers and hospitals pay almost the same median. The difference is the hours around it: a surgery center runs days, while a hospital also runs nights, weekends and call, and those are paid on top.
- Hospitals$64,95081,900 techs, about seven in ten. Nights, weekends and call are paid on top of this.
- Specialty hospitals$71,3901,690 techs, in heart, orthopedic, cancer and children's hospitals.
- Outpatient care centers$64,67012,150 techs, most of them in surgery centers.
- Surgeons' offices$64,59012,280 techs, in practices that operate in their own suites.
- Staffing agencies$62,2504,410 techs. Wages only: travel housing and meal stipends aren't counted.
- Dental offices$48,1902,110 techs, including oral surgery practices.
Median pay a year by type of employer, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
What moves your pay.
Your state, your workplace, your certification and whether you take call decide which end of the range you're on.
Your state
The biggest one. The same job pays $33,000 more a year in Hawaii than in West Virginia.
Certification
Many employers require the CST or pay more for it, some add a certification differential, and some states require certification by law.
Specialty
Heart, neuro, robotics and transplant teams often pay more for techs who can run their cases.
Nights, weekends and call
Shift differentials and overtime come on top of base pay, and the government figures leave them out.
Staff, PRN or travel
PRN usually pays a higher hourly rate without benefits. Travel pays a weekly package.
Experience
Years in the OR, and the cases you can run without anyone checking your back table.
The raises you can study for.
Certification and specialty are the two things on that list you can start on tonight. They are what CSTSetup is for.
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Browse the setupsMove up to first assist
The CSFA is the next certification up, and first assistants are paid more. Practice for it the same way.
Practice for the CSFAHow travel pay works.
Travel contracts are quoted as a weekly package, usually for 13 weeks: a taxable hourly rate, plus tax-free stipends for housing and meals.
You can only take the stipends tax-free if you keep a tax home that you're paying for while you're away. If you aren't sure yours counts, ask a tax professional before you sign.
Compare packages on both numbers. Overtime is paid from the taxable rate, so a big weekly figure built on a low taxable rate is worth less than it looks. Ask how many hours are guaranteed, and what happens if you're cancelled.
The government counts travel techs under staffing agencies, and only their wages, so its figures can't tell you what a contract is worth. What travelers share here will.
First assistants and sterile processing.
First assistants are paid a little more than surgical techs, and sterile processing a good deal less.
- Surgical technologist$64,650117,460 working.
- Surgical assistant$66,80022,270 working. The government counts first assistants as one group, certified or not.
- Sterile processing$47,70077,420 working, counted as medical equipment preparers.
Median pay a year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
Going for your first assistant certification? Practice for the CSFA. Moving into sterile processing? Practice for the CRCST, and read what sterile processing techs need to know about instruments.
Before your next raise or offer.
- Know your rangeFind your state above. If you are below its middle half, you have a number to point at.
- Count the whole packageBase, differentials, call, sign-on bonus, time off and retirement. Two offers with the same base can be thousands apart.
- Ask for a number"The middle of our state is $70,000" lands better than "I would like a raise."
Surgical tech pay, answered.
How much does a surgical tech make an hour?
The median is $31.08 an hour. The middle half of techs make $26.29 to $38.34, before overtime and shift differentials.
What state pays surgical techs the most?
Hawaii, at a median of $82,640 a year, then Oregon ($81,390), California ($81,310) and Massachusetts ($80,870). West Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi pay the least.
How much do surgical techs make in Florida, Texas and California?
Florida: $62,440 a year ($30.02 an hour). Texas: $65,220 ($31.35). California: $81,310 ($39.09). Between them those three states have more than a quarter of all surgical techs.
Do certified surgical techs make more?
Often. Many employers require the CST or pay a differential for it, and some states require certification by law. The government does not split pay by certification; the pay techs share here will, once enough have.
How much do travel surgical techs make?
Travel pay is a weekly package, a taxable hourly rate plus tax-free housing and meal stipends, and it moves with the city, the contract and the season. The government figures leave stipends out, which is why the staffing agency median looks low.
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