How Much Does a Surgical Tech Make in the United States in 2026?

Every operation needs someone at the sterile field handing instruments, tracking counts, and keeping the setup clean. Hospitals and surgery centers hire for that work year-round, and a skilled tech is hard to replace. The typical surgical technician earns $31.08 an hour, or $64,650 a year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). Scrub tech postings appear in nearly every metro area.

That is a national figure, and real paychecks land well above and below it. State lines matter. So does the type of facility, along with years at the table and the credentials on file. About 117,460 people work as operating room technicians nationwide, most of them in hospitals.

A typical Surgical Tech earns $31.08 per hour, which comes to about $64,650 over a full year. From that annual figure, monthly pay works out to roughly $5,388 and weekly pay to about $1,243. What actually lands in the account depends on hours worked, call time, and overtime.

New Surgical Techs generally start near $45,940 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $96,940, a spread of roughly $51,000 between the two ends. Experience explains part of that gap. The rest comes down to the state you work in and whether your facility runs complex, high-volume surgical services.

Entry-level positions pay around $22.09 an hour, or about $45,940 a year, for someone fresh out of an accredited program. At that stage a tech is still learning trays, counts, and surgeon preferences. Within a few years earnings usually reach about $26.29 an hour, or $54,690, and then climb toward the typical $64,650.

Experienced Surgical Techs often earn $38.34 an hour or more, about $79,750 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $46.61 an hour, which comes to more than $96,940. Reaching that group usually takes years in a demanding specialty, a high-paying state, and steady call coverage.

In 2015 a Surgical Tech typically earned $44,330 a year. By 2025 that figure reached $64,650. The gain over the decade comes to $20,320, a rise of 45.8%. The most recent year added $1,820, or about 2.9%.

The pace was uneven. Pay rose $3,970 in total between 2015 and 2019. From 2021 to 2025 it rose $16,120, four times as much over the same span of years, as hospitals competed harder for people who could staff an operating room. Local gains varied, and some states moved far less than the national figure.

Where you live is often the single biggest factor in what a Surgical Tech earns. Hawaii pays the most at $82,640 a year, followed by Oregon at $81,390, California at $81,310, Massachusetts at $80,870, and Alaska at $80,380. Metro pay climbs higher still. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara leads at $106,840, with Vallejo at $105,260, Napa at $102,490, Santa Cruz-Watsonville at $100,130, and Santa Rosa-Petaluma at $99,960.

At the other end, West Virginia pays $49,110, Alabama $49,420, and Mississippi $49,810. The gap from the highest-paying state to the lowest runs $33,530 a year. The largest workforces are in California with 11,920 techs, Texas with 10,160 at $65,220, and Florida with 9,120 at $62,440. High pay usually tracks high housing costs. The table below has every state.

General medical and surgical hospitals employ 81,900 Surgical Techs, far more than any other setting. Offices of physicians come next with 12,280 techs at $31.05 an hour, or $64,590 a year. Outpatient care centers account for 12,150 at $31.09 an hour, or $64,670.

Hospitals also pay the most of the common settings, at $31.22 an hour, or $64,950 a year, right at the national figure. Staffing work pays a little less, $29.93 an hour in employment services and temporary help services, or about $62,250 and $62,260, roughly 4% below. Offices of dentists pay $23.17 an hour, or $48,190, about 25% under. The table below shows each setting.

Surgical services run around the clock, and someone has to cover nights, weekends, and holidays. Most hospitals pay a shift differential for those hours, plus call pay for time spent available to come in. The amounts are set by the employer or the contract, so two techs in the same city can take home different totals on the same base rate.

Most Surgical Techs enter the field through an accredited certificate or associate program of about 9 to 24 months. The CST credential from the NBSTSA is the national standard. Several states require certification or graduation from an accredited program for employment, among them Texas, Tennessee, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Nevada, Washington, and others. Requirements change, so confirm with your state.

Specialty experience tends to pay more. Techs who scrub cardiovascular, neuro, or orthopedic cases carry skills that are harder to replace, and employers price that accordingly. Travel contracts commonly pay above staff rates, usually in exchange for short assignments and frequent moves. None of this is automatic, and the size of the difference depends on the employer and the market.

A Surgical Tech typically earns $64,650 a year. Surgical assistant work pays $66,800, about $2,150 more, and certified surgical first assistant programs commonly run 12 to 22 months. Registered nurses earn $97,550, roughly $30,750 above that, with an ADN taking about 2 years and a BSN about 4. Physician assistants earn $135,880, another $38,330 higher, through a master's program commonly about 27 months.

People usually make these moves gradually, taking prerequisite courses part time while still working the schedule. Some employers offer tuition assistance to staff who stay on. Operating room experience carries over: a tech who has scrubbed hundreds of cases already knows sterile technique, instruments, and how a room runs under pressure.

Surgical Techs typically earn $64,650 a year, up from $44,330 in 2015, and BLS expects modest growth through 2035. Pay depends heavily on state and setting, which is why the national figure is only a starting point. Next steps: check your state's salary page for local figures, and look up the training and certification requirements where you plan to work.