How Much Does a Surgical Tech Make in Santa Cruz, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Surgical Techs in Santa Cruz, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area
A typical Surgical Tech in Santa Cruz, California earns $48.14 per hour, or $100,130 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $8,344 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $65,260, and the top 10% of earners make over $130,480.
That pay is 23% above the California figure of $81,310 and 55% above the national figure of $64,650. Santa Cruz ranks 4th of 21 metro areas in California for Surgical Tech pay. About 80 Surgical Techs work in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area. Santa Cruz is part of the Santa Cruz · Watsonville metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Watsonville share these figures.
Surgical Tech pay in Santa Cruz at a glance
- Typical pay is $48.14 an hour, or $100,130 a year.
- That is 23% above the California figure, ranking 4th of 21 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $65,260; the top 10% make over $130,480.
- Typical pay rose +81% from 2015 to 2025, against +40% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Surgical Tech make in Santa Cruz?
Pay in Santa Cruz runs from entry-level positions at around $31.37 an hour to more than $62.73 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 Cruz
| Career stage | Santa Cruz | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $65,260$31.37 an hour | $49,140$23.63 an hour | $45,940$22.09 an hour |
| First years | $79,130$38.05 an hour | $64,380$30.95 an hour | $54,690$26.29 an hour |
| Typical Surgical Tech | $100,130$48.14 an hour | $81,310$39.09 an hour | $64,650$31.08 an hour |
| Experienced | $107,920$51.88 an hour | $99,260$47.72 an hour | $79,750$38.34 an hour |
| Top 10% | $130,480$62.73 an hour | $115,740$55.64 an hour | $96,940$46.61 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area as BLS defines it
Surgical Tech pay growth in Santa Cruz
Typical (median) annual wage for Surgical Techs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville 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 Cruz was $55,440 a year. By 2025 it had reached $100,130, a change of +81%, compared with +40% for California over the same years.
How Santa Cruz compares with other California cities
San Jose pays Surgical Techs the most in California at $106,840 a year, $6,710 more than Santa Cruz. The lowest-paying area in the state is Visalia at $61,270.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Santa Cruz | Surgical Techs employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose metro incl. Santa Clara · Sunnyvale | $106,840 | $51.37 | +7% | 700 |
| 2 | Vallejo | $105,260 | $50.61 | +5% | 100 |
| 3 | Napa | $102,490 | $49.27 | +2% | 60 |
| 4 | Santa Cruz metro incl. Watsonville | $100,130 | $48.14 | this city | 80 |
| 5 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $99,960 | $48.06 | 0% | 120 |
| 6 | Oakland metro incl. Fremont · San Francisco | $99,390 | $47.79 | -1% | 1,440 |
| 7 | Redding | $89,940 | $43.24 | -10% | 80 |
| 8 | Lodi metro incl. Stockton | $82,300 | $39.57 | -18% | 170 |
| 9 | San Diego metro incl. Carlsbad · Chula Vista | $82,260 | $39.55 | -18% | 1,110 |
| 10 | Los Angeles metro incl. Anaheim · Long Beach | $81,580 | $39.22 | -19% | 3,440 |
| 11 | Paso Robles metro incl. San Luis Obispo | $80,730 | $38.81 | -19% | 100 |
| 12 | Oxnard metro incl. Thousand Oaks · Ventura | $80,060 | $38.49 | -20% | 200 |
| 13 | Modesto | $79,950 | $38.44 | -20% | 120 |
| 14 | Santa Barbara metro incl. Santa Maria | $78,510 | $37.75 | -22% | 170 |
| 15 | Delano metro incl. Bakersfield | $78,470 | $37.72 | -22% | 240 |
| 16 | Chico | $78,050 | $37.53 | -22% | 90 |
| 17 | San Bernardino | $77,490 | $37.26 | -23% | 1,190 |
| 18 | Salinas | $72,780 | $34.99 | -27% | 120 |
| 19 | Sacramento | $65,980 | $31.72 | -34% | 1,020 |
| 20 | Fresno | $64,380 | $30.95 | -36% | 520 |
| 21 | Visalia | $61,270 | $29.46 | -39% | 110 |
Every metro area in California with Surgical Tech wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $81,310
Is Santa Cruz a good place to work as a Surgical Tech?
Surgical Techs in Santa Cruz earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $100,130 a year, 55% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the Santa Cruz · Watsonville area, about 0.8 are Surgical Tech positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 0.7. Surgical Tech jobs make up about the same share of the job market as they do across the country.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Surgical Tech make in Santa Cruz, CA?
- A typical Surgical Tech in Santa Cruz earns $100,130 a year, or $48.14 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $65,260 and the top 10% earn over $130,480.
- How much does a Surgical Tech make an hour in Santa Cruz?
- Typical hourly pay for Surgical Techs in Santa Cruz is $48.14. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $31.37, and the top 10% earn over $62.73 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Surgical Tech in Santa Cruz?
- Entry-level Surgical Tech positions in Santa Cruz typically offer around $31.37 an hour, or $65,260 a year.
- Is Surgical Tech pay in Santa Cruz higher than in the rest of California?
- Santa Cruz pay is 23% above the California figure of $81,310 a year, ranking 4th of 21 metro areas in the state. San Jose pays the most in California at $106,840.