Occupation · SOC 29-2055

Surgical Technologists: pay and where the jobs are

What surgical technologists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$64,650 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$68,710
Median hourly wage
$31.08
Mean hourly wage
$33.03
Employment
117,460

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2055.

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How much do surgical technologists make?

The median annual wage for surgical technologists was $64,650 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $96,940. As an hourly rate, the median is $31.08. About 117,460 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($82,640), Oregon ($81,390) and California ($81,310). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for surgical technologists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.

Surgical Technologists: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$45,940$22.09$3,828$3,258
25th percentile$54,690$26.29$4,558$3,844
Median$64,650$31.08$5,388$4,511
75th percentile$79,750$38.34$6,646$5,411
90th percentile$96,940$46.61$8,078$6,419

Surgical Technologists: pay by state

52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.

1

Alaska

$63,606 take-home in national prices

2

Nevada

$61,943 take-home in national prices

3

Minnesota

$61,827 take-home in national prices

Where a median surgical technologist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
Hawaii290$82,640$39,370$94,010$62,100$56,480
Oregon1,090$81,390$59,930$97,330$60,080$58,127
California11,920$81,310$49,140$115,740$61,658$55,688
Massachusetts2,220$80,870$60,350$109,550$61,527$58,177
Alaska310$80,380$54,840$101,060$65,106$63,606
Minnesota1,770$80,210$62,820$98,470$60,974$61,827
Connecticut1,220$79,890$45,980$104,920$60,989$58,864
New York6,540$79,550$53,680$105,330$60,720$56,263
District of Columbia340$77,520$37,800$101,180$59,745$54,362
Washington2,510$77,270$55,270$103,690$62,118$58,047
New Jersey2,780$77,200$48,270$100,490$59,898$55,051
Colorado2,100$75,740$51,040$92,580$59,156$57,404
Nevada1,110$75,480$48,330$102,430$61,930$61,943
New Hampshire370$75,040$56,760$87,560$61,621$59,157
Rhode Island240$74,130$49,910$101,850$58,002$56,709
Wisconsin2,180$74,120$59,410$86,670$58,082$61,727
Idaho1,100$72,550$48,430$87,210$57,132$59,828
Arizona2,410$72,260$50,030$96,840$58,252$57,860
Maryland1,880$68,970$45,590$85,820$54,440$51,868
Virginia1,910$67,580$47,980$102,020$53,301$52,719
Texas10,160$65,220$39,950$92,580$54,584$56,239
Illinois3,570$64,650$48,560$91,890$51,071$51,092
Indiana2,680$64,240$51,350$80,600$51,931$55,643
Georgia4,380$64,010$40,390$84,040$51,166$53,136
Nebraska770$63,880$49,870$79,350$51,481$57,135
Michigan3,840$63,320$43,690$79,550$50,617$52,607
Maine470$62,860$48,330$80,380$49,808$51,322
Utah1,170$62,720$45,760$87,430$50,172$50,748
Pennsylvania4,490$62,680$47,130$77,760$50,575$51,834
Florida9,120$62,440$41,270$85,620$52,351$50,622
Ohio3,730$62,420$48,110$80,640$51,061$55,039
Delaware340$62,250$48,150$79,310$49,171$49,265
South Carolina2,680$62,160$38,830$75,210$50,320$53,675
North Dakota370$61,640$50,440$72,120$51,708$58,125
Oklahoma1,940$61,190$49,200$77,320$49,138$55,939
Missouri2,100$61,120$44,930$78,410$49,355$54,345
Montana490$60,970$37,690$79,330$49,061$51,836
North Carolina4,400$60,920$45,990$78,650$49,207$52,167
Vermont140$60,660$49,510$88,460$49,322$50,350
Kansas1,200$60,600$44,720$76,880$48,290$53,615
Iowa950$60,540$47,280$75,100$49,175$56,032
Tennessee3,310$60,530$47,620$75,920$50,816$55,313
Kentucky1,440$60,490$41,440$79,980$48,784$54,109
South Dakota600$59,870$38,450$75,470$50,286$56,765
Wyoming210$58,850$45,080$79,920$49,466$53,367
Arkansas1,640$57,400$38,750$75,460$46,665$53,676
Louisiana2,230$57,370$36,580$74,650$46,942$53,218
New Mexico540$51,780$42,430$78,650$42,517$46,108
Mississippi1,110$49,810$38,800$66,300$40,942$47,085
Alabama2,480$49,420$36,490$64,360$39,845$44,859
West Virginia580$49,110$38,010$72,010$40,233$44,955
Puerto Rico1,080$30,600$25,500$45,380——

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-2055. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).

Sources

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.