Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Surgical Technologists
Industry profile for Surgical Technologists
Geographic profile for Surgical Technologists
National estimates for Surgical Technologists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Surgical Technologists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 109,060 |
1.1 % |
$ 25.77 |
$ 53,590 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Surgical Technologists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 17.76 |
$ 22.33 |
$ 23.33 |
$ 29.22 |
$ 36.51 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 36,930 |
$ 46,440 |
$ 48,530 |
$ 60,780 |
$ 75,940 |
Industry profile for Surgical Technologists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Surgical Technologists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Surgical Technologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Surgical Technologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
77,450 |
1.38 |
$ 25.63 |
$ 53,300 |
| Offices of Physicians |
12,350 |
0.46 |
$ 26.12 |
$ 54,340 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
12,080 |
1.22 |
$ 26.77 |
$ 55,680 |
| Offices of Dentists |
1,830 |
0.19 |
$ 23.41 |
$ 48,700 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,530 |
0.57 |
$ 28.45 |
$ 59,180 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Surgical Technologists:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
77,450 |
1.38 |
$ 25.63 |
$ 53,300 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
12,080 |
1.22 |
$ 26.77 |
$ 55,680 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
1,530 |
0.57 |
$ 28.45 |
$ 59,180 |
| Offices of Physicians |
12,350 |
0.46 |
$ 26.12 |
$ 54,340 |
| Offices of Dentists |
1,830 |
0.19 |
$ 23.41 |
$ 48,700 |
Top paying industries for Surgical Technologists:
Geographic profile for Surgical Technologists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Surgical Technologists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Surgical Technologists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Surgical Technologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
11,390 |
0.69 |
0.89 |
$ 32.89 |
$ 68,410 |
| Texas |
10,820 |
0.89 |
1.14 |
$ 25.46 |
$ 52,950 |
| Florida |
7,370 |
0.86 |
1.11 |
$ 23.10 |
$ 48,050 |
| New York |
5,720 |
0.66 |
0.85 |
$ 29.02 |
$ 60,350 |
| Michigan |
4,130 |
1.02 |
1.31 |
$ 23.10 |
$ 48,050 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Technologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| South Dakota |
590 |
1.41 |
1.82 |
$ 21.68 |
$ 45,100 |
| Kentucky |
2,370 |
1.29 |
1.67 |
$ 22.60 |
$ 47,000 |
| Louisiana |
2,210 |
1.23 |
1.59 |
$ 20.79 |
$ 43,240 |
| South Carolina |
2,470 |
1.19 |
1.54 |
$ 22.30 |
$ 46,390 |
| Alabama |
2,220 |
1.15 |
1.49 |
$ 19.50 |
$ 40,550 |
Top paying states for Surgical Technologists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
11,390 |
0.69 |
0.89 |
$ 32.89 |
$ 68,410 |
| Alaska |
230 |
0.77 |
0.99 |
$ 31.58 |
$ 65,690 |
| District of Columbia |
270 |
0.41 |
0.53 |
$ 31.37 |
$ 65,250 |
| Connecticut |
1,270 |
0.80 |
1.04 |
$ 31.34 |
$ 65,190 |
| Nevada |
1,110 |
0.86 |
1.11 |
$ 31.34 |
$ 65,180 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Surgical Technologists:
| 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 |
5,830 |
0.67 |
0.87 |
$ 30.07 |
$ 62,540 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,510 |
0.79 |
1.02 |
$ 32.22 |
$ 67,020 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
3,190 |
0.89 |
1.15 |
$ 26.33 |
$ 54,760 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
2,920 |
1.01 |
1.30 |
$ 27.57 |
$ 57,340 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
2,650 |
0.63 |
0.81 |
$ 25.72 |
$ 53,490 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
1,930 |
0.91 |
1.18 |
$ 27.38 |
$ 56,950 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
1,860 |
0.76 |
0.98 |
$ 23.85 |
$ 49,600 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
1,850 |
0.70 |
0.90 |
$ 25.96 |
$ 53,990 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
1,810 |
1.00 |
1.29 |
$ 23.52 |
$ 48,920 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,530 |
0.59 |
0.76 |
$ 26.63 |
$ 55,380 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Technologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Rochester, MN |
490 |
4.26 |
5.50 |
$ 29.87 |
$ 62,120 |
| Florence, SC |
200 |
2.38 |
3.08 |
$ 21.07 |
$ 43,820 |
| Owensboro, KY |
110 |
2.16 |
2.79 |
$ 22.67 |
$ 47,150 |
| Idaho Falls, ID |
150 |
2.13 |
2.76 |
$ 23.52 |
$ 48,910 |
| Sioux Falls, SD |
300 |
1.91 |
2.47 |
$ 21.57 |
$ 44,860 |
| Hattiesburg, MS |
120 |
1.89 |
2.45 |
$ 18.67 |
$ 38,840 |
| Rapid City, SD |
120 |
1.81 |
2.34 |
$ 22.06 |
$ 45,890 |
| Lubbock, TX |
260 |
1.80 |
2.32 |
$ 25.68 |
$ 53,410 |
| Billings, MT |
150 |
1.77 |
2.29 |
$ 22.53 |
$ 46,870 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR |
570 |
1.77 |
2.28 |
$ 21.40 |
$ 44,510 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Surgical Technologists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
730 |
0.68 |
0.88 |
$ 38.68 |
$ 80,450 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,460 |
0.65 |
0.84 |
$ 38.54 |
$ 80,170 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
100 |
0.74 |
0.95 |
$ 37.24 |
$ 77,460 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
620 |
0.64 |
0.82 |
$ 35.80 |
$ 74,470 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
140 |
0.74 |
0.96 |
$ 35.74 |
$ 74,330 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
70 |
0.74 |
0.96 |
$ 34.41 |
$ 71,570 |
| Danbury, CT |
60 |
0.78 |
1.01 |
$ 34.36 |
$ 71,460 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
670 |
0.48 |
0.62 |
$ 32.70 |
$ 68,010 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA |
140 |
0.54 |
0.69 |
$ 32.24 |
$ 67,060 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,510 |
0.79 |
1.02 |
$ 32.22 |
$ 67,020 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Surgical Technologists:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Technologists:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Surgical Technologists:
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.
(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
