Sort by any column. Employment is the number of surgical technologists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Surgical Technologist Salary by State (2026)
Surgical Technologists earn the most in Hawaii at $82,640 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $30,600 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $64,650. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $82,640
- National median
- $64,650
- Lowest median
- $30,600
- States reporting
- 52
Hawaii
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Surgical Technologists
- 1. Hawaii$82,640 median · $75,161 adjusted · 290 employed
- 2. Oregon$81,390 median · $78,743 adjusted · 1,090 employed
- 3. California$81,310 median · $73,438 adjusted · 11,920 employed
- 4. Massachusetts$80,870 median · $76,468 adjusted · 2,220 employed
- 5. Alaska$80,380 median · $78,528 adjusted · 310 employed
Lowest-paying states for Surgical Technologists
- 52. Puerto Rico$30,600 median · no price parity · 1,080 employed
- 51. West Virginia$49,110 median · $54,873 adjusted · 580 employed
- 50. Alabama$49,420 median · $55,639 adjusted · 2,480 employed
- 49. Mississippi$49,810 median · $57,284 adjusted · 1,110 employed
- 48. New Mexico$51,780 median · $56,153 adjusted · 540 employed
Surgical Technologist salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $82,640 | $59,810 | $88,160 | 290 | $75,161 |
| 2 | Oregon | $81,390 | $73,190 | $94,640 | 1,090 | $78,743 |
| 3 | California | $81,310 | $64,380 | $99,260 | 11,920 | $73,438 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $80,870 | $68,830 | $98,300 | 2,220 | $76,468 |
| 5 | Alaska | $80,380 | $63,480 | $93,470 | 310 | $78,528 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $80,210 | $72,730 | $86,420 | 1,770 | $81,332 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $79,890 | $59,120 | $95,050 | 1,220 | $77,106 |
| 8 | New York | $79,550 | $64,390 | $98,140 | 6,540 | $73,711 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $77,520 | $49,260 | $83,780 | 340 | $70,536 |
| 10 | Washington | $77,270 | $62,330 | $90,620 | 2,510 | $72,206 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $77,200 | $64,440 | $85,700 | 2,780 | $70,953 |
| 12 | Colorado | $75,740 | $62,930 | $83,000 | 2,100 | $73,497 |
| 13 | Nevada | $75,480 | $59,730 | $84,930 | 1,110 | $75,496 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $75,040 | $65,280 | $81,570 | 370 | $72,040 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $74,130 | $63,800 | $81,520 | 240 | $72,478 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $74,120 | $63,030 | $79,010 | 2,180 | $78,771 |
| 17 | Idaho | $72,550 | $61,490 | $77,640 | 1,100 | $75,973 |
| 18 | Arizona | $72,260 | $62,620 | $83,550 | 2,410 | $71,774 |
| 19 | Maryland | $68,970 | $60,310 | $81,390 | 1,880 | $65,711 |
| 20 | Virginia | $67,580 | $59,110 | $84,100 | 1,910 | $66,842 |
| 21 | Texas | $65,220 | $50,100 | $80,790 | 10,160 | $67,198 |
| 22 | Illinois | $64,650 | $60,160 | $77,670 | 3,570 | $64,677 |
| 23 | Indiana | $64,240 | $60,240 | $77,210 | 2,680 | $68,832 |
| 24 | Georgia | $64,010 | $50,480 | $78,410 | 4,380 | $66,474 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $63,880 | $57,700 | $68,840 | 770 | $70,897 |
| 26 | Michigan | $63,320 | $51,890 | $76,470 | 3,840 | $65,810 |
| 27 | Maine | $62,860 | $56,240 | $75,270 | 470 | $64,771 |
| 28 | Utah | $62,720 | $49,200 | $76,950 | 1,170 | $63,441 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $62,680 | $52,060 | $72,020 | 4,490 | $64,240 |
| 30 | Florida | $62,440 | $52,410 | $75,170 | 9,120 | $60,379 |
| 31 | Ohio | $62,420 | $55,380 | $73,790 | 3,730 | $67,282 |
| 32 | Delaware | $62,250 | $54,540 | $74,030 | 340 | $62,370 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $62,160 | $52,140 | $67,080 | 2,680 | $66,305 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $61,640 | $52,950 | $62,730 | 370 | $69,290 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $61,190 | $52,720 | $65,120 | 1,940 | $69,658 |
| 36 | Missouri | $61,120 | $50,690 | $68,410 | 2,100 | $67,300 |
| 37 | Montana | $60,970 | $49,170 | $70,580 | 490 | $64,420 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $60,920 | $51,540 | $68,520 | 4,400 | $64,585 |
| 39 | Vermont | $60,660 | $51,040 | $72,270 | 140 | $61,924 |
| 40 | Kansas | $60,600 | $49,010 | $67,570 | 1,200 | $67,282 |
| 41 | Iowa | $60,540 | $50,680 | $62,880 | 950 | $68,982 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $60,530 | $51,310 | $64,430 | 3,310 | $65,887 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $60,490 | $50,300 | $66,630 | 1,440 | $67,093 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $59,870 | $51,720 | $63,900 | 600 | $67,584 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $58,850 | $50,300 | $64,980 | 210 | $63,491 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $57,400 | $47,520 | $63,400 | 1,640 | $66,025 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $57,370 | $47,410 | $62,790 | 2,230 | $65,040 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $51,780 | $47,500 | $64,800 | 540 | $56,153 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $49,810 | $47,120 | $59,590 | 1,110 | $57,284 |
| 50 | Alabama | $49,420 | $39,270 | $59,990 | 2,480 | $55,639 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $49,110 | $39,520 | $61,610 | 580 | $54,873 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $30,600 | $26,880 | $34,200 | 1,080 | N/A |
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 Technologists, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $82,640, while Minnesota leads once prices are taken into account at $81,332.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Surgical Technologist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Surgical Technologists the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for Surgical Technologists at $82,640 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Oregon ($81,390) and California ($81,310).
Which state pays Surgical Technologists the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Surgical Technologists at $30,600 a year, $52,040 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Surgical Technologists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Minnesota first at $81,332 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $80,210. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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