State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Surgical Technologist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Surgical Technologists earn a median of $64,650 per year ($31.08/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034, with about 7,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 29-2055Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $64,650
- Projected growth
- +4.5%
- Openings a year
- 7,000
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Certified Surgical Technician, Certified Surgical Technologist (CST), Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St), Operating Room Technician (OR Tech), Operating Room Technologist (OR Tech), Surgical Scrub Technician.
How much do Surgical Technologists make?
10th percentile$45,940
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$54,690
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$64,650
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$79,750
Upper quartile
90th percentile$96,940
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $64,650 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $31.08/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $68,710 |
| People employed | 117,460 |
Versus all US occupations
At $64,650, Surgical Technologists earn 27% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $13,670 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870, this is 34% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $96,940 or more while the bottom 10% earn $45,940, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 50% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Hawaii posts the highest raw median ($82,640), but once local prices are taken into account Minnesota leads at $81,332 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Surgical Technologists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $82,640 | $75,161 | 290 |
| Oregon | $81,390 | $78,743 | 1,090 |
| California | $81,310 | $73,438 | 11,920 |
| Massachusetts | $80,870 | $76,468 | 2,220 |
| Alaska | $80,380 | $78,528 | 310 |
| Minnesota | $80,210 | $81,332 | 1,770 |
| Connecticut | $79,890 | $77,106 | 1,220 |
| New York | $79,550 | $73,711 | 6,540 |
| District of Columbia | $77,520 | $70,536 | 340 |
| Washington | $77,270 | $72,206 | 2,510 |
Is Surgical Technologist a growing career?
Surgical Technologists4.5%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Surgical Technologists to change 4.5% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 5,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 7,000 openings are projected each year, 6.1% of the 115,600 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The aging population is expected to increase the demand for surgical procedures, which should result in a greater need for surgical assistants and technologists. A rise in the number of surgeries among all age groups also is expected to support job growth.
Heightened demand for these workers is expected in outpatient settings, such as ambulatory surgery centers. These facilities are seeing an increase in the number of surgeries because of advances in medical technology and changes in insurers’ policies.
How to become a Surgical Technologist
Surgical assistants and technologists typically need a certificate or an associate’s degree. Employers may require or prefer that workers have certification. Some states regulate these workers.
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as surgical technologists.
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)40.6%
- Post-Secondary Certificate31.2%
- Some College Courses23.2%
- High School Diploma5.0%
What does a Surgical Technologist do?
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
Surgical assistants and technologists help with surgical operations. Surgical assistants, also called surgical first assistants, help surgeons with tasks such as making incisions, placing clamps, and closing surgical sites. Surgical technologists, also called operating room technicians, prepare operating rooms, arrange equipment, and help doctors and first assistants during surgeries.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
- Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.
- Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.
- Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
- Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where surgical technologists work
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 37% |
|---|---|
| Offices of dentists | 30% |
| Offices of physicians | 13% |
| Self-employed workers | 9% |
| Outpatient care centers | 4% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Monitoring3.8/5
- Active Listening3.4/5
- Speaking3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Learning Strategies3.0/5
- Writing2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Operations Monitoring3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Instructing3.0/5
- Service Orientation3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Surgical Technologist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.3
Investigative3.2
Artistic1.0
Socialprimary3.8
Enterprising1.6
Conventionalprimary4.8
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Surgical Technologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Surgical Technologists make?
Surgical Technologists earn a median of $64,650 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 27% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $31.08/hr. The middle half earn between $54,690 and $79,750. The top 10% earn $96,940 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Surgical Technologist?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) as the typical entry route for Surgical Technologists. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 40.6% hold associate's degree (or other 2-year degree).
Is Surgical Technologist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 7,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Surgical Technologist do?
Surgical assistants and technologists help with surgical operations. A core O*NET task: prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Surgical Technologists the most?
The highest state medians for Surgical Technologists are Hawaii ($82,640), Oregon ($81,390), California ($81,310) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Minnesota moves to the top at $81,332.
What personality type suits a Surgical Technologist?
O*NET scores Surgical Technologists highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.