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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
107,400 1.2 % $ 24.77 $ 51,510 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Surgical Technologists:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 16.40 $ 19.72 $ 23.90 $ 29.32 $ 35.15
Annual Wage (2) $ 34,120 $ 41,010 $ 49,710 $ 60,980 $ 73,110


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 76,770 1.37 $ 24.65 $ 51,270
Offices of Physicians 11,140 0.43 $ 24.68 $ 51,330
Outpatient Care Centers 10,860 1.13 $ 25.81 $ 53,690
Offices of Dentists 2,980 0.35 $ 23.12 $ 48,080
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,860 0.70 $ 26.39 $ 54,900

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 76,770 1.37 $ 24.65 $ 51,270
Outpatient Care Centers 10,860 1.13 $ 25.81 $ 53,690
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,860 0.70 $ 26.39 $ 54,900
Offices of Physicians 11,140 0.43 $ 24.68 $ 51,330
Offices of Dentists 2,980 0.35 $ 23.12 $ 48,080

Top paying industries for Surgical Technologists:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 640 0.02 $ 27.69 $ 57,590
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,860 0.70 $ 26.39 $ 54,900
Outpatient Care Centers 10,860 1.13 $ 25.81 $ 53,690
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 310 0.10 $ 25.42 $ 52,880
Management of Companies and Enterprises 110 (7) $ 25.21 $ 52,440


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)
Texas 10,680 0.88 1.14 $ 23.97 $ 49,860
California 9,140 0.56 0.72 $ 31.04 $ 64,570
Florida 7,720 0.91 1.18 $ 22.46 $ 46,710
New York 5,510 0.63 0.82 $ 28.55 $ 59,380
Pennsylvania 4,080 0.74 0.96 $ 23.02 $ 47,890




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 730 1.78 2.30 $ 21.49 $ 44,700
West Virginia 890 1.37 1.77 $ 19.18 $ 39,890
South Carolina 2,300 1.14 1.48 $ 21.10 $ 43,880
Oklahoma 1,750 1.12 1.45 $ 21.59 $ 44,900
Louisiana 1,980 1.10 1.42 $ 20.26 $ 42,140




Top paying states for Surgical Technologists:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 230 0.79 1.02 $ 32.27 $ 67,120
Nevada 1,100 0.88 1.14 $ 32.21 $ 67,000
California 9,140 0.56 0.72 $ 31.04 $ 64,570
Connecticut 1,030 0.67 0.86 $ 29.96 $ 62,310
District of Columbia 280 0.41 0.53 $ 29.63 $ 61,620





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 5,420 0.61 0.79 $ 29.29 $ 60,910
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,170 0.54 0.71 $ 28.79 $ 59,880
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 3,030 1.02 1.32 $ 26.08 $ 54,240
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,870 0.66 0.85 $ 25.49 $ 53,020
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,430 0.68 0.88 $ 25.07 $ 52,140
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,150 0.82 1.06 $ 24.66 $ 51,290
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 2,130 0.85 1.10 $ 22.68 $ 47,180
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 1,840 0.68 0.88 $ 23.32 $ 48,500
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,720 0.97 1.25 $ 22.67 $ 47,150
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,680 0.65 0.84 $ 28.62 $ 59,540




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)
Morgantown, WV 200 3.29 4.26 $ 16.50 $ 34,320
Rapid City, SD 200 3.21 4.16 $ 22.88 $ 47,580
Florence, SC 220 2.62 3.39 $ 20.15 $ 41,910
Sioux Falls, SD 360 2.34 3.04 $ 21.31 $ 44,330
Lawton, OK 80 2.01 2.60 $ 21.70 $ 45,140
Peoria, IL 320 1.99 2.58 $ 22.61 $ 47,020
Brunswick, GA 80 1.94 2.51 $ 15.34 $ 31,910
Rome, GA 70 1.90 2.47 $ 24.11 $ 50,150
Wausau, WI 120 1.80 2.33 $ 25.76 $ 53,580
Manhattan, KS 70 1.78 2.31 $ 21.70 $ 45,140




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 Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,120 0.48 0.62 $ 38.09 $ 79,230
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 520 0.47 0.61 $ 35.62 $ 74,080
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 120 0.94 1.21 $ 35.32 $ 73,460
Santa Rosa, CA 90 0.46 0.60 $ 34.70 $ 72,170
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 700 0.72 0.94 $ 34.29 $ 71,330
Redding, CA 50 0.77 0.99 $ 34.03 $ 70,780
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 870 0.96 1.24 $ 33.27 $ 69,200
Fresno, CA 250 0.66 0.86 $ 33.11 $ 68,860
Visalia-Porterville, CA 50 0.31 0.41 $ 32.86 $ 68,360
Anchorage, AK 200 1.21 1.56 $ 32.81 $ 68,250

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Surgical Technologists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 260 1.14 1.48 $ 19.60 $ 40,770
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 190 0.79 1.02 $ 20.64 $ 42,930
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 190 0.51 0.66 $ 19.68 $ 40,940
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 180 0.99 1.28 $ 18.78 $ 39,060
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 170 1.13 1.46 $ 20.46 $ 42,570

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Surgical Technologists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 140 1.36 1.76 $ 19.02 $ 39,560
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 150 1.36 1.76 $ 22.12 $ 46,020
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 100 1.28 1.66 $ 21.45 $ 44,610
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 260 1.14 1.48 $ 19.60 $ 40,770
Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 170 1.13 1.46 $ 20.46 $ 42,570

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Surgical Technologists:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 30 0.36 0.46 $ 36.15 $ 75,190
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 80 0.74 0.95 $ 31.94 $ 66,440
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.65 0.84 $ 30.83 $ 64,120
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 70 0.45 0.58 $ 29.93 $ 62,250
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 29.36 $ 61,080


About May 2020 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 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021