Surgical Technologist Salary by Setting (2026)
Surgical technologist pay varies by work setting in patterns that often outweigh state-level variation. Federal government employment leads at $71,820 mean. General hospitals follow at $62,140. Ambulatory surgical centers pay $60,280 with substantially better schedule predictability. Per-setting analysis surfaces the case mix, shift structure, and benefit context that pay tables hide.
Hospital surgical tech
$62,140 mean (BLS general medical and surgical hospitals). Shift differentials, call, complex case mix, union pay at large systems, tuition reimbursement ladders.
Read the hospital pay deep dive →Ambulatory surgical center
$60,280 mean (BLS outpatient care + ASC). Predictable day-shift schedule, no nights or weekends, joint and ortho ASC growth, IC opportunity for CSFAs.
Read the ASC pay deep dive →BLS setting-level pay breakdown
The BLS OEWS data publishes surgical technologist pay by industry classification, allowing direct comparison across work settings. Federal government employment (mostly VA medical centers and DoD military treatment facilities) anchors the top at $71,820 mean. General medical and surgical hospitals (the largest single employer category, accounting for roughly 70 percent of total surgical tech employment) sits at $62,140. Outpatient care centers and ambulatory surgical centers together average $58,500 to $60,300, varying year to year. Physician offices, where smaller-scale procedural surgical work happens, sit at the lower end of the range at $55,340.
The setting-level pay breakdown matters more than state-level variation for many surgical tech career decisions. A tech moving between settings within the same state can see a 10 to 20 percent pay change. A tech moving between states within the same setting typically sees a smaller pay change. For early-career planning, choosing the right setting often matters more than choosing the right state.