Surgical Technologists

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$64,650

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$54,690 – $79,750

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

117,460

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+5%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

7,100

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Main tasks

• Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
• Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
• Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
• Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
• Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
• Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
• Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.
• Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Postsecondary nondegree award

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 3 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Surgical Assistants

  $66,800 median · +6.1% projected

• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians

  $74,310 median · +3.7% projected

• Medical Equipment Preparers

  $47,700 median · +10.8% projected

• Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

  $80,110 median · +5% projected

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

  $96,590 median · +13.9% projected

• Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

  $45,570 median · +21.4% projected