Careers / Surgical Technologists
Surgical Technologists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$64,650
United States, 2025
Employment
117,460
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 29-2055.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$45,940
25th percentile
$54,690
75th percentile
$79,750
90th percentile
$96,940
Most important skills
- Monitoring3.6
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Active Listening3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Service Orientation3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Management of Material Resources3.0
- Instructing3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 17 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
17
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.0 | 2.4 | Not selected | 2.4 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $50,290
Compare with Surgical TechnologistsSupplemental
National median $358,550
Compare with Surgical TechnologistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $106,840 | 700 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $105,260 | 100 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $102,490 | 60 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $100,130 | 80 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $99,960 | 120 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $99,390 | 1,440 | 2025 |
| Redding, CA | $89,940 | 80 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $87,330 | 230 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $86,790 | 250 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $84,120 | 6,320 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $83,580 | 380 | 2025 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $82,860 | 50 | 2025 |
| HI | $82,640 | 290 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $82,430 | 650 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $82,300 | 170 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $82,260 | 1,110 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $82,000 | 1,080 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $81,600 | 130 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $81,580 | 3,440 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $81,500 | 1,550 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Surgical Technologists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.