Surgical Technologist Salary by State (2026): BLS Data & Pay Calculator

51 of 51 areas (50 states and DC) have a published surgical technologist estimate in the BLS May 2025 data. Ranked by median annual wage, the top five are Hawaii ($82,640), Oregon ($81,390), California ($81,310), Massachusetts ($80,870), Alaska ($80,380). The bottom five are West Virginia ($49,110), Alabama ($49,420), Mississippi ($49,810), New Mexico ($51,780), Louisiana ($57,370).

Highest paying states

Lowest paying states

The gap between the top and bottom state medians is $33,530 a year. These figures are not adjusted for cost of living, which is why a high-paying state is not automatically a better offer. The full sortable table is in the tool above.

BLS publishes wages at five points. The 10th percentile is the wage that 10% of surgical technologists earn less than. The median is the middle wage: half earn less and half earn more. The 90th percentile is the wage that 90% earn less than. The mean is the average and is pulled up by high earners. Nationally for this occupation, those wages are $45,940 (10th), $54,690 (25th), $64,650 (median), $79,750 (75th) and $96,940 (90th).

Worked example. Say a practice offers $60,000 a year. At BLS's 2,080-hour work year, that is $28.85 an hour ($28.85 × 2,080 = $60,000). The offer is at least the 25th percentile wage of $54,690 and below the median (50th) wage of $64,650.

Enter your own number in the tool, as an annual salary or an hourly rate. It places the offer in a band and does not guess a single percentile, because BLS does not publish the wage at every point.

BLS reports this occupation as Surgical Technologists (SOC 29-2055). Its Occupational Outlook Handbook, which covers surgical assistants and technologists together, says they help with surgical operations.

The handbook lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education. Certification can help with employment and some employers require it.

The figures cover surgical technologist employees in every setting. They do not break out outpatient or aesthetic surgery practices.

People also search for this as “surgical tech salary”, “surgical tech salary by state”. All of them point to the same BLS occupation data shown here.

The figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates, across all industries and employers. BLS publishes new estimates each spring, so check the BLS OEWS site for newer figures.

• Included: base rate, cost-of-living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and production bonuses) and tips.
• Left out: overtime, severance, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer-paid benefits and tuition reimbursement.
• Not covered: the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms.
• Hourly to annual: BLS converts an hourly wage to an annual one with a 2,080-hour year.
• Top-coded: where BLS marks a wage of $115.00 an hour or $239,200 a year or more with a “#”, it publishes no exact figure. That mostly affects state-level physician estimates. This site shows those as $239,200+.

BLS does not report med spa or aesthetic practice wages as a separate group, and the data does not adjust for cost of living. When you compare an offer, weigh local living costs, benefits and the pay plan, not only the base wage.

Salary is not the full cost of an employee. Payroll taxes, benefits and workers' compensation add to it; the employee cost calculator turns a wage into a total cost to the practice.

Once a hire is on the team, Prospyr analytics shows revenue per provider so you can see whether the pay plan fits what the schedule produces. For practices still building the team, see Prospyr for med spas.