Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
29-2055 Surgical Technologists
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons’ assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments. Excludes “Surgical Assistants” (29-9093).
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 109,000 |
1.1 % |
$24.09 |
$50,110 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$16.07 |
$19.11 |
$23.22 |
$28.52 |
$34.33 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$33,420 |
$39,760 |
$48,300 |
$59,320 |
$71,400 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
77,820 |
1.39 |
$23.89 |
$49,700 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
11,270 |
1.18 |
$25.65 |
$53,360 |
| Offices of Physicians |
11,020 |
0.42 |
$23.90 |
$49,720 |
| Offices of Dentists |
3,370 |
0.35 |
$22.68 |
$47,180 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,880 |
0.71 |
$26.18 |
$54,460 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
77,820 |
1.39 |
$23.89 |
$49,700 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
11,270 |
1.18 |
$25.65 |
$53,360 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,880 |
0.71 |
$26.18 |
$54,460 |
| Offices of Physicians |
11,020 |
0.42 |
$23.90 |
$49,720 |
| Offices of Dentists |
3,370 |
0.35 |
$22.68 |
$47,180 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,880 |
0.71 |
$26.18 |
$54,460 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
480 |
0.02 |
$26.06 |
$54,210 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
11,270 |
1.18 |
$25.65 |
$53,360 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
100 |
(7) |
$24.65 |
$51,270 |
| Employment Services |
1,500 |
0.04 |
$24.54 |
$51,040 |
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
10,220 |
0.82 |
1.11 |
$23.65 |
$49,190 |
| California |
9,480 |
0.55 |
0.74 |
$30.05 |
$62,510 |
| Florida |
7,540 |
0.86 |
1.16 |
$21.52 |
$44,770 |
| New York |
5,620 |
0.59 |
0.79 |
$27.61 |
$57,420 |
| Michigan |
4,240 |
0.98 |
1.31 |
$21.44 |
$44,590 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| West Virginia |
1,050 |
1.50 |
2.02 |
$17.94 |
$37,310 |
| South Dakota |
620 |
1.45 |
1.96 |
$20.32 |
$42,260 |
| Arkansas |
1,310 |
1.08 |
1.45 |
$19.95 |
$41,510 |
| Oklahoma |
1,700 |
1.05 |
1.42 |
$20.66 |
$42,980 |
| South Carolina |
2,190 |
1.04 |
1.40 |
$19.73 |
$41,030 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
240 |
0.74 |
1.00 |
$32.53 |
$67,660 |
| Nevada |
1,100 |
0.79 |
1.07 |
$30.79 |
$64,050 |
| California |
9,480 |
0.55 |
0.74 |
$30.05 |
$62,510 |
| District of Columbia |
260 |
0.36 |
0.49 |
$29.20 |
$60,740 |
| Minnesota |
2,460 |
0.85 |
1.15 |
$28.89 |
$60,090 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
5,760 |
0.60 |
0.80 |
$28.67 |
$59,620 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
3,340 |
0.54 |
0.72 |
$28.42 |
$59,110 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
2,850 |
0.93 |
1.26 |
$25.75 |
$53,560 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
2,850 |
0.61 |
0.82 |
$24.70 |
$51,370 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
2,490 |
0.91 |
1.22 |
$23.83 |
$49,560 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
2,300 |
0.63 |
0.85 |
$24.67 |
$51,310 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
2,260 |
0.86 |
1.15 |
$22.19 |
$46,150 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
1,930 |
0.97 |
1.31 |
$21.47 |
$44,650 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
1,810 |
0.63 |
0.85 |
$22.82 |
$47,470 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,700 |
0.61 |
0.82 |
$28.11 |
$58,470 |
United States Department of Labor
