Pay by state · 45 states
Surgical Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Surgical Assistants earn the most in District of Columbia at $123,390 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $30,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $66,800. All 45 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $123,390District of Columbia
- National median
- $66,800BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $30,160Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 45of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Surgical Assistant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of surgical assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $123,390 | $71,200 | $145,780 | 90 | $112,274 |
| 2 | AZArizona | $111,170 | $50,590 | $132,730 | N/A | $110,422 |
| 3 | COColorado | $107,440 | $104,820 | $125,260 | N/A | $104,258 |
| 4 | NVNevada | $100,820 | $85,130 | $114,380 | 230 | $100,841 |
| 5 | NJNew Jersey | $90,710 | $64,140 | $143,490 | N/A | $83,369 |
| 6 | SCSouth Carolina | $85,580 | $50,630 | $108,200 | 480 | $91,286 |
| 7 | KYKentucky | $84,600 | $55,300 | $115,030 | 480 | $93,834 |
| 8 | TNTennessee | $81,640 | $73,000 | $96,720 | 750 | $88,865 |
| 9 | OROregon | $80,450 | $72,640 | $108,710 | 220 | $77,834 |
| 10 | ILIllinois | $80,210 | $80,210 | $80,210 | 2,300 | $80,244 |
| 11 | VAVirginia | $78,910 | $51,030 | $103,860 | 1,000 | $78,048 |
| 12 | WIWisconsin | $78,030 | $61,760 | $95,730 | 810 | $82,927 |
| 13 | NHNew Hampshire | $77,670 | $62,300 | $119,750 | 130 | $74,564 |
| 14 | OHOhio | $77,450 | $48,120 | $99,380 | 970 | $83,482 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $75,950 | $67,080 | $89,950 | 360 | $77,012 |
| 16 | CTConnecticut | $67,580 | $52,250 | $89,590 | 320 | $65,225 |
| 17 | MTMontana | $67,370 | $56,610 | $85,810 | 100 | $71,182 |
| 18 | IAIowa | $66,030 | $55,280 | $66,660 | 30 | $75,238 |
| 19 | WAWashington | $65,440 | $53,460 | $86,890 | 100 | $61,151 |
| 20 | TXTexas | $64,930 | $43,370 | $94,730 | 2,840 | $66,899 |
| 21 | FLFlorida | $62,550 | $51,420 | $89,560 | 1,260 | $60,485 |
| 22 | CACalifornia | $62,540 | $59,630 | $72,030 | 1,210 | $56,485 |
| 23 | NMNew Mexico | $62,010 | $46,870 | $69,040 | 130 | $67,247 |
| 24 | RIRhode Island | $61,900 | $61,900 | $67,440 | N/A | $60,520 |
| 25 | AKAlaska | $61,210 | $60,400 | $75,510 | 60 | $59,799 |
| 26 | PAPennsylvania | $60,550 | $50,410 | $83,570 | 240 | $62,057 |
| 27 | NYNew York | $60,070 | $54,440 | $63,730 | 470 | $55,661 |
| 28 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,920 | $49,520 | $67,210 | 670 | $63,524 |
| 29 | MDMaryland | $58,130 | $49,620 | $86,580 | 670 | $55,384 |
| 30 | KSKansas | $57,810 | $44,320 | $69,770 | 180 | $64,185 |
| 31 | INIndiana | $56,620 | $44,670 | $75,650 | 690 | $60,667 |
| 32 | IDIdaho | $56,460 | $51,690 | $60,240 | N/A | $59,124 |
| 33 | MAMassachusetts | $56,430 | $51,650 | $58,370 | N/A | $53,358 |
| 34 | MIMichigan | $56,430 | $37,960 | $81,110 | 560 | $58,649 |
| 35 | HIHawaii | $54,190 | $54,190 | $95,520 | 70 | $49,286 |
| 36 | NENebraska | $53,190 | $47,010 | $75,410 | 80 | $59,032 |
| 37 | WVWest Virginia | $50,870 | $48,200 | $63,740 | 280 | $56,840 |
| 38 | MSMississippi | $50,810 | $39,910 | $61,820 | 120 | $58,434 |
| 39 | ARArkansas | $49,600 | $36,800 | $78,790 | 80 | $57,053 |
| 40 | GAGeorgia | $49,520 | $43,740 | $65,450 | 840 | $51,426 |
| 41 | MOMissouri | $49,400 | $47,330 | $60,580 | 510 | $54,395 |
| 42 | UTUtah | $44,990 | $36,320 | $50,980 | 290 | $45,507 |
| 43 | ALAlabama | $41,710 | $37,910 | $45,900 | 470 | $46,959 |
| 44 | OKOklahoma | $40,160 | $38,590 | $70,640 | 220 | $45,718 |
| 45 | PRPuerto Rico | $30,160 | $23,670 | $31,630 | 90 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Surgical Assistants, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $123,390, while District of Columbia leads once prices are taken into account at $112,274.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Surgical Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Surgical Assistants the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Surgical Assistants at $123,390 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Arizona ($111,170) and Colorado ($107,440).
Which state pays Surgical Assistants the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Surgical Assistants at $30,160 a year, $93,230 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Surgical Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts District of Columbia first at $112,274 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $123,390. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.