Surgical Technologists Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of surgical technologists are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of surgical technologists within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The surgical technologists 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 Technologists Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$38,860
25th Percentile Wage
$47,860
50th Percentile Wage
$55,960
75th Percentile Wage
$64,360
90th Percentile Wage
$78,560

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for surgical technologists. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) surgical technologists is $78,560. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $55,960. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $38,860. Note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 102% 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 technologists from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$55,960
13.28% 25.32%
2021
$48,530
-2.43% -
2020
$49,710
2.84% -
2019
$48,300
2.07% -
2018
$47,300
2.09% -
2017
$46,310
2.48% -
2016
$45,160
1.84% -
2015
$44,330
2.21% -
2014
$43,350
1.45% -
2013
$42,720
2.18% -
2012
$41,790
- -

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

The average salaries of surgical technologists in 7 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 technologists occupations is the educational services sector with an annual salary $64,020. The lowest paying sector is the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services sector (annual salary $48,880).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Educational Services
$64,020
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$56,790
Health Care and Social Assistance
$56,340
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$53,550
Wholesale Trade
$50,900
Federal, State, and Local Government
$50,820
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$48,880

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

From the above tables we note that not only surgical technologists 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 technologists in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $22,880 to $75,690. The highest paying state for surgical technologists is Alaska with a median annual salary of $75,690. The lowest paying state is Puerto Rico with a median annual salary of $22,880. For more salary information of surgical technologists profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Alaska
$75,690
California
$75,150
Connecticut
$74,900
Nevada
$67,640
Oregon
$65,370
Minnesota
$64,960
District of Columbia
$64,210
New York
$63,780
Washington
$63,700
Massachusetts
$63,580
Rhode Island
$63,340
Colorado
$63,180
New Jersey
$62,730
New Hampshire
$61,890
Arizona
$61,070
Wisconsin
$61,040
Maryland
$60,110
Idaho
$58,820
Virginia
$58,420
Delaware
$57,520
Indiana
$56,280
Hawaii
$55,310
Georgia
$54,230
Maine
$54,220
Texas
$53,460
Illinois
$51,850
Ohio
$51,650
Missouri
$50,940
Florida
$50,880
Michigan
$50,790
Tennessee
$50,780
North Dakota
$50,330
Nebraska
$50,040
Pennsylvania
$50,020
Utah
$49,790
South Carolina
$49,510
Kentucky
$49,360
Wyoming
$49,250
North Carolina
$49,220
South Dakota
$48,900
Iowa
$48,690
Kansas
$48,660
Oklahoma
$48,210
Vermont
$47,810
Louisiana
$47,780
New Mexico
$47,670
Montana
$47,670
West Virginia
$46,850
Arkansas
$46,840
Mississippi
$44,680
Alabama
$40,100
Puerto Rico
$22,880