Pay by state · 52 areas
Surgical Technologist Salary by State (2026)
Surgical Technologists earn the most in Hawaii at $82,640 a year and the least in West Virginia at $49,110 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $64,650. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $82,640Hawaii
- National median
- $64,650BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $49,110West Virginia
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for surgical technologists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Minnesota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Hawaii$82,640
- 2Oregon$81,390
- 3California$81,310
- 4Massachusetts$80,870
- 5Alaska$80,380
Lowest median pay
- 1West Virginia$49,110
- 2Alabama$49,420
- 3Mississippi$49,810
- 4New Mexico$51,780
- 5Louisiana$57,370
All states
Surgical Technologist salary in every state
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.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $82,640 | $59,810 | $88,160 | 290 | $75,161 |
| 2 | OROregon | $81,390 | $73,190 | $94,640 | 1,090 | $78,743 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $81,310 | $64,380 | $99,260 | 11,920 | $73,438 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $80,870 | $68,830 | $98,300 | 2,220 | $76,468 |
| 5 | AKAlaska | $80,380 | $63,480 | $93,470 | 310 | $78,528 |
| 6 | MNMinnesota | $80,210 | $72,730 | $86,420 | 1,770 | $81,332 |
| 7 | CTConnecticut | $79,890 | $59,120 | $95,050 | 1,220 | $77,106 |
| 8 | NYNew York | $79,550 | $64,390 | $98,140 | 6,540 | $73,711 |
| 9 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $77,520 | $49,260 | $83,780 | 340 | $70,536 |
| 10 | WAWashington | $77,270 | $62,330 | $90,620 | 2,510 | $72,206 |
| 11 | NJNew Jersey | $77,200 | $64,440 | $85,700 | 2,780 | $70,953 |
| 12 | COColorado | $75,740 | $62,930 | $83,000 | 2,100 | $73,497 |
| 13 | NVNevada | $75,480 | $59,730 | $84,930 | 1,110 | $75,496 |
| 14 | NHNew Hampshire | $75,040 | $65,280 | $81,570 | 370 | $72,040 |
| 15 | RIRhode Island | $74,130 | $63,800 | $81,520 | 240 | $72,478 |
| 16 | WIWisconsin | $74,120 | $63,030 | $79,010 | 2,180 | $78,771 |
| 17 | IDIdaho | $72,550 | $61,490 | $77,640 | 1,100 | $75,973 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $72,260 | $62,620 | $83,550 | 2,410 | $71,774 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $68,970 | $60,310 | $81,390 | 1,880 | $65,711 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $67,580 | $59,110 | $84,100 | 1,910 | $66,842 |
| 21 | TXTexas | $65,220 | $50,100 | $80,790 | 10,160 | $67,198 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $64,650 | $60,160 | $77,670 | 3,570 | $64,677 |
| 23 | INIndiana | $64,240 | $60,240 | $77,210 | 2,680 | $68,832 |
| 24 | GAGeorgia | $64,010 | $50,480 | $78,410 | 4,380 | $66,474 |
| 25 | NENebraska | $63,880 | $57,700 | $68,840 | 770 | $70,897 |
| 26 | MIMichigan | $63,320 | $51,890 | $76,470 | 3,840 | $65,810 |
| 27 | MEMaine | $62,860 | $56,240 | $75,270 | 470 | $64,771 |
| 28 | UTUtah | $62,720 | $49,200 | $76,950 | 1,170 | $63,441 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $62,680 | $52,060 | $72,020 | 4,490 | $64,240 |
| 30 | FLFlorida | $62,440 | $52,410 | $75,170 | 9,120 | $60,379 |
| 31 | OHOhio | $62,420 | $55,380 | $73,790 | 3,730 | $67,282 |
| 32 | DEDelaware | $62,250 | $54,540 | $74,030 | 340 | $62,370 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $62,160 | $52,140 | $67,080 | 2,680 | $66,305 |
| 34 | NDNorth Dakota | $61,640 | $52,950 | $62,730 | 370 | $69,290 |
| 35 | OKOklahoma | $61,190 | $52,720 | $65,120 | 1,940 | $69,658 |
| 36 | MOMissouri | $61,120 | $50,690 | $68,410 | 2,100 | $67,300 |
| 37 | MTMontana | $60,970 | $49,170 | $70,580 | 490 | $64,420 |
| 38 | NCNorth Carolina | $60,920 | $51,540 | $68,520 | 4,400 | $64,585 |
| 39 | VTVermont | $60,660 | $51,040 | $72,270 | 140 | $61,924 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $60,600 | $49,010 | $67,570 | 1,200 | $67,282 |
| 41 | IAIowa | $60,540 | $50,680 | $62,880 | 950 | $68,982 |
| 42 | TNTennessee | $60,530 | $51,310 | $64,430 | 3,310 | $65,887 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $60,490 | $50,300 | $66,630 | 1,440 | $67,093 |
| 44 | SDSouth Dakota | $59,870 | $51,720 | $63,900 | 600 | $67,584 |
| 45 | WYWyoming | $58,850 | $50,300 | $64,980 | 210 | $63,491 |
| 46 | ARArkansas | $57,400 | $47,520 | $63,400 | 1,640 | $66,025 |
| 47 | LALouisiana | $57,370 | $47,410 | $62,790 | 2,230 | $65,040 |
| 48 | NMNew Mexico | $51,780 | $47,500 | $64,800 | 540 | $56,153 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $49,810 | $47,120 | $59,590 | 1,110 | $57,284 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $49,420 | $39,270 | $59,990 | 2,480 | $55,639 |
| 51 | WVWest Virginia | $49,110 | $39,520 | $61,610 | 580 | $54,873 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $30,600 | $26,880 | $34,200 | 1,080 | 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 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.
Questions
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?
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia reports the lowest median for surgical technologists at $49,110 a year, $33,530 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $30,600.
Is the highest-paying state the best for surgical technologists after cost of living?
Not on this data. Hawaii pays the most on paper ($82,640) but ranks 9th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($75,161). Minnesota leads after that adjustment at $81,332, from a raw median of $80,210. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.