Surgical Tech Salary

The salary of a surgical tech depends on several factors, including:

• Local demand for surgical services
• Size of the employing facility
• Regional and local economy
• Education and experience

The top 10% of surgical techs earn over $68,000 per year, while entry-level and uncertified techs may earn around $27,000. Certified technologists can expect to earn more.

Location has the largest impact on surgical tech salary. Currently Alaska, Illinois, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia offer the highest average annual salaries for surgical technologists. Alaska’s average surgical tech salary is around $63,000. The lowest paying states are Mississippi and West Virginia, which trend around $35,000. However, the cost of living is another factor to consider when comparing surgical tech salary ranges by location.

How Much do Surgical Techs Make?

Here are some basic national salary and hourly wage figures for surgical technicians in the US, based on 2012 data:

	Lowest Pay	Median Pay	Highest Pay	Average Pay
Hourly Wage	$13.14	$20.98	$33.17	$22.03
Annual Salary	$27,330	$43,640	$68,990	$45,830

Surgical Tech Salary by State

Here are the highest-paying US states for surgical technician salaries, including lowest, median, highest, and average pay. Figures are based on 2012 data.

State	Lowest Salary	Median Salary	Highest Salary	Average Salary
Alaska	$42,470	$58,510	$102,500	$63,370
DC	$42,520	$59,550	$73,360	$58,650
Illinois	$32,850	$56,000	$88,430	$57,630
Massachusetts	$35,020	$56,290	$75,760	$56,190
Connecticut	$35,800	$54,310	$75,670	$54,590
Rhode Island	$40,000	$52,990	$75,020	$54,250
New Jersey	$34,160	$53,420	$75,260	$54,030
California	$31,550	$50,690	$76,320	$52,220
New York	$28,460	$50,530	$75,260	$51,890
Washington	$32,010	$49,330	$75,250	$51,340
See all states…

Surgical Tech Salary by City

The highest-paying cities for surgical tech salaries are listed below, also including lowest, median, highest and average salaries for surgical technicians.

City	Lowest Salary	Median Salary	Highest Salary	Average Salary
Springfield, IL	$34,400	$64,020	$91,740	$64,850
Chicago, IL	$34,780	$57,490	$90,400	$60,600
Detroit, MI	$37,290	$57,010	$84,030	$59,950
Boston, MA	$37,720	$58,970	$76,480	$58,980
Seattle, WA	$37,590	$57,170	$85,430	$58,300
Newark, NJ	$35,380	$57,620	$80,370	$57,830
Anchorage, AK	$44,390	$57,290	$70,860	$56,680
Gary, IN	$35,180	$54,070	$87,020	$56,660
New York, NY	$27,960	$57,760	$81,190	$56,220
Ann Arbor, MI	$31,170	$62,570	$73,750	$55,680
See more cities…

Other Factors That Influence Salary

Besides location, the industry a surgical technician works in can have an effect on his or her salary. Currently, the most highly paid surgical technologists work in education, with state-owned institutions paying nearly $74,000 per year to the highest-paid technicians. The average salary for those industries is around $50,000, however.

The industry paying the highest average surgical tech salary is Social Assistance, paying an average of around $54,000 per year. These are surgical technicians who are reimbursed by social security.

The lowest average salaries for surgical techs, around $35,000 per year, are in company management, where enterprises owned by surgical technologists are primarily small businesses and start-ups. Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals also pay lower average salaries at around $37,000, as there is generally low demand for surgical services in psychiatric facilities.

Figures based on 2012 data courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment & Wages database.

Also see:

• Surgical Technician Job Description
• Surgical Tech Training
• Surgical Tech Certification