Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
29-9093 Surgical Assistants
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site. Excludes “Registered Nurses” (29-1141) and “Surgical Technologists” (29-2055).
National estimates for Surgical Assistants
Industry profile for Surgical Assistants
Geographic profile for Surgical Assistants
National estimates for Surgical Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Surgical Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 17,250 |
5.6 % |
$ 28.45 |
$ 59,170 |
8.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Surgical Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 15.71 |
$ 18.20 |
$ 23.23 |
$ 36.25 |
$ 46.57 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 32,680 |
$ 37,850 |
$ 48,320 |
$ 75,410 |
$ 96,870 |
Industry profile for Surgical Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Surgical Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Surgical Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Surgical Assistants:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Surgical Assistants:
Top paying industries for Surgical Assistants:
Geographic profile for Surgical Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Surgical Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Surgical Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Surgical Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Florida |
3,390 |
0.39 |
3.22 |
$ 29.10 |
$ 60,530 |
| Tennessee |
1,560 |
0.52 |
4.27 |
$ 27.86 |
$ 57,940 |
| Kentucky |
860 |
0.47 |
3.82 |
$ 26.13 |
$ 54,350 |
| Virginia |
850 |
0.23 |
1.84 |
$ 32.40 |
$ 67,390 |
| Texas |
760 |
0.06 |
0.51 |
$ 31.03 |
$ 64,530 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Tennessee |
1,560 |
0.52 |
4.27 |
$ 27.86 |
$ 57,940 |
| Kentucky |
860 |
0.47 |
3.82 |
$ 26.13 |
$ 54,350 |
| West Virginia |
280 |
0.43 |
3.51 |
$ 19.75 |
$ 41,080 |
| Florida |
3,390 |
0.39 |
3.22 |
$ 29.10 |
$ 60,530 |
| New Hampshire |
200 |
0.31 |
2.51 |
$ 35.57 |
$ 73,990 |
Top paying states for Surgical Assistants:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Surgical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
730 |
0.74 |
6.07 |
$ 31.41 |
$ 65,330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
480 |
0.11 |
0.93 |
$ 33.01 |
$ 68,670 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
370 |
0.13 |
1.04 |
$ 40.13 |
$ 83,460 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC |
250 |
0.36 |
2.93 |
$ 31.76 |
$ 66,070 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR |
240 |
0.39 |
3.21 |
$ 26.64 |
$ 55,420 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
210 |
0.94 |
7.69 |
$ 20.17 |
$ 41,940 |
| Knoxville, TN |
200 |
0.53 |
4.34 |
$ 23.20 |
$ 48,260 |
| Oklahoma City, OK |
190 |
0.31 |
2.53 |
$ 19.54 |
$ 40,640 |
| Tulsa, OK |
180 |
0.43 |
3.53 |
$ 17.52 |
$ 36,430 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
180 |
0.06 |
0.50 |
$ 33.17 |
$ 68,990 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC |
210 |
0.94 |
7.69 |
$ 20.17 |
$ 41,940 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH |
100 |
0.81 |
6.57 |
$ 22.52 |
$ 46,840 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
730 |
0.74 |
6.07 |
$ 31.41 |
$ 65,330 |
| Owensboro, KY |
30 |
0.66 |
5.36 |
$ 27.50 |
$ 57,190 |
| Portsmouth, NH-ME |
50 |
0.60 |
4.88 |
$ 30.76 |
$ 63,980 |
| Knoxville, TN |
200 |
0.53 |
4.34 |
$ 23.20 |
$ 48,260 |
| Dalton, GA |
30 |
0.49 |
4.04 |
$ 17.84 |
$ 37,110 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA |
120 |
0.49 |
4.03 |
$ 30.50 |
$ 63,450 |
| Greenville, NC |
30 |
0.44 |
3.58 |
$ 16.33 |
$ 33,960 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage, MI |
60 |
0.44 |
3.56 |
$ 21.09 |
$ 43,880 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Surgical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
110 |
0.06 |
0.50 |
$ 48.22 |
$ 100,300 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
80 |
0.06 |
0.46 |
$ 45.91 |
$ 95,500 |
| Amarillo, TX |
40 |
0.34 |
2.75 |
$ 42.99 |
$ 89,420 |
| Columbus, OH |
50 |
0.05 |
0.37 |
$ 42.84 |
$ 89,110 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
370 |
0.13 |
1.04 |
$ 40.13 |
$ 83,460 |
| Dayton, OH |
40 |
0.10 |
0.81 |
$ 39.61 |
$ 82,380 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
100 |
0.13 |
1.04 |
$ 35.38 |
$ 73,580 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH |
120 |
0.12 |
1.00 |
$ 35.32 |
$ 73,460 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 34.95 |
$ 72,690 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
150 |
0.04 |
0.34 |
$ 33.82 |
$ 70,340 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Surgical Assistants:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Assistants:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Surgical Assistants:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
