How Much Does a Surgical Tech Make in Santa Clara, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Surgical Techs in Santa Clara, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara metro area
A typical Surgical Tech in Santa Clara, California earns $51.37 per hour, or $106,840 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $8,903 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $77,640, and the top 10% of earners make over $133,480.
That pay is 31% above the California figure of $81,310 and 65% above the national figure of $64,650. Santa Clara ranks 1st of 21 metro areas in California for Surgical Tech pay. About 700 Surgical Techs work in the San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara area. Santa Clara is part of the San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so San Jose and Sunnyvale share these figures.
Surgical Tech pay in Santa Clara at a glance
- Typical pay is $51.37 an hour, or $106,840 a year.
- That is 31% above the California figure, ranking 1st of 21 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $77,640; the top 10% make over $133,480.
- Typical pay rose +64% from 2015 to 2025, against +40% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Surgical Tech make in Santa Clara?
Pay in Santa Clara runs from entry-level positions at around $37.33 an hour to more than $64.17 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Surgical Tech pay by career stage in Santa Clara
| Career stage | Santa Clara | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $77,640$37.33 an hour | $49,140$23.63 an hour | $45,940$22.09 an hour |
| First years | $82,480$39.65 an hour | $64,380$30.95 an hour | $54,690$26.29 an hour |
| Typical Surgical Tech | $106,840$51.37 an hour | $81,310$39.09 an hour | $64,650$31.08 an hour |
| Experienced | $123,880$59.56 an hour | $99,260$47.72 an hour | $79,750$38.34 an hour |
| Top 10% | $133,480$64.17 an hour | $115,740$55.64 an hour | $96,940$46.61 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara area as BLS defines it
Surgical Tech pay growth in Santa Clara
Typical (median) annual wage for Surgical Techs in the San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Surgical Tech pay in Santa Clara was $65,340 a year. By 2025 it had reached $106,840, a change of +64%, compared with +40% for California over the same years.
How Santa Clara compares with other California cities
Santa Clara pays Surgical Techs the most of any metro area in California. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $61,270.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Clara | Surgical Techs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara | $106,840 | $51.37 | this city | 700 |
| 2 | Vallejo | $105,260 | $50.61 | -1% | 100 |
| 3 | Napa | $102,490 | $49.27 | -4% | 60 |
| 4 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $100,130 | $48.14 | -6% | 80 |
| 5 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $99,960 | $48.06 | -6% | 120 |
| 6 | Oakland metro incl. Fremont · San Francisco | $99,390 | $47.79 | -7% | 1,440 |
| 7 | Redding | $89,940 | $43.24 | -16% | 80 |
| 8 | Lodi metro incl. Stockton | $82,300 | $39.57 | -23% | 170 |
| 9 | San Diego metro incl. Carlsbad · Chula Vista | $82,260 | $39.55 | -23% | 1,110 |
| 10 | Los Angeles metro incl. Anaheim · Long Beach | $81,580 | $39.22 | -24% | 3,440 |
| 11 | Paso Robles metro incl. San Luis Obispo | $80,730 | $38.81 | -24% | 100 |
| 12 | Oxnard metro incl. Thousand Oaks · Ventura | $80,060 | $38.49 | -25% | 200 |
| 13 | Modesto | $79,950 | $38.44 | -25% | 120 |
| 14 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $78,510 | $37.75 | -27% | 170 |
| 15 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $78,470 | $37.72 | -27% | 240 |
| 16 | Chico | $78,050 | $37.53 | -27% | 90 |
| 17 | San Bernardino | $77,490 | $37.26 | -27% | 1,190 |
| 18 | Salinas | $72,780 | $34.99 | -32% | 120 |
| 19 | Sacramento | $65,980 | $31.72 | -38% | 1,020 |
| 20 | Fresno | $64,380 | $30.95 | -40% | 520 |
| 21 | Visalia | $61,270 | $29.46 | -43% | 110 |
Every metro area in California with Surgical Tech wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $81,310
Is Santa Clara a good place to work as a Surgical Tech?
Surgical Techs in Santa Clara earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $106,840 a year, 65% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the San Jose · Sunnyvale · Santa Clara area, about 0.6 are Surgical Tech positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 0.8. That makes Surgical Techs a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Surgical Tech make in Santa Clara, CA?
- A typical Surgical Tech in Santa Clara earns $106,840 a year, or $51.37 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $77,640 and the top 10% earn over $133,480.
- How much does a Surgical Tech make an hour in Santa Clara?
- Typical hourly pay for Surgical Techs in Santa Clara is $51.37. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $37.33, and the top 10% earn over $64.17 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Surgical Tech in Santa Clara?
- Entry-level Surgical Tech positions in Santa Clara typically offer around $37.33 an hour, or $77,640 a year.
- Is Surgical Tech pay in Santa Clara higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Clara pay is 31% above the California figure of $81,310 a year, ranking 1st of 21 metro areas in the state.