Surgical Assistant Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of surgical assistants are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of surgical assistants within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The surgical assistants annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Surgical Assistant Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$35,130
25th Percentile Wage
$40,670
50th Percentile Wage
$57,290
75th Percentile Wage
$74,330
90th Percentile Wage
$95,060

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for surgical assistants. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) surgical assistants is $95,060. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $57,290. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $35,130. We note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 170% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of surgical assistants from 2012 to 2022. Note that there is no salary data for some years between 2012 and 2022.

YearMedian Salary Growth1-Year Growth
2022
$57,290
15.66% 15.66%
2021
$48,320
- -

Table 2. Surgical Assistant Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of surgical assistants in 5 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for surgical assistants occupations is the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector with an annual salary $78,100. The lowest paying sector is the federal, state, and local government sector (annual salary $37,500).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$78,100
Educational Services
$64,370
Health Care and Social Assistance
$57,200
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$47,590
Federal, State, and Local Government
$37,500

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of Surgical Assistants by States (2022 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only surgical assistants salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of surgical assistants in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $20,220 to $94,470. The highest paying state for surgical assistants is Maryland with a median annual salary of $94,470. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $20,220. For more salary information of surgical assistants profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Maryland
$94,470
Hawaii
$87,990
Minnesota
$82,290
Virginia
$81,210
Wisconsin
$80,070
Colorado
$78,610
Illinois
$74,280
Alaska
$74,090
New Hampshire
$73,800
New Jersey
$66,560
Massachusetts
$66,090
Rhode Island
$65,090
North Dakota
$64,590
Washington
$64,350
Texas
$62,250
Nebraska
$60,890
Tennessee
$60,770
Pennsylvania
$60,720
Florida
$60,210
Oregon
$59,930
Nevada
$59,740
New York
$56,940
Indiana
$56,280
Kentucky
$52,720
Arizona
$50,960
South Dakota
$50,830
Iowa
$50,070
Connecticut
$50,020
Arkansas
$49,200
Mississippi
$48,890
South Carolina
$48,030
Michigan
$48,000
West Virginia
$47,400
Ohio
$47,320
Idaho
$47,230
California
$45,350
Utah
$44,250
Kansas
$41,060
North Carolina
$37,010
Alabama
$36,840
New Mexico
$36,400
Missouri
$35,330
Oklahoma
$35,290
Louisiana
$33,260
Puerto Rico
$20,220

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