How much do ENT surgical techs make?

ENT (otolaryngology) surgical technologists typically earn $60,000 to $72,000 annually, close to the staff CST national mean of $68,710 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2055). Head-and-neck oncology and skull-base surgery roles at academic medical centers can reach $75,000 to $80,000. ENT is more ambulatory-surgical-center heavy than other specialties, which compresses differentials but offers predictable Monday to Friday daytime schedules.

What cases does an ENT surg tech scrub for?

Routine: tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A), tympanoplasty, myringotomy with tubes (BMT), and septoplasty. Subspecialty: functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), cochlear implant, head and neck oncology resection (laryngectomy, parotidectomy, neck dissection), skull-base surgery (often co-listed with neurosurgery), and pediatric airway. Microsurgical instrumentation, drill sets, and endoscopic stacks are routine.

Close to staff CST mean | ASC-dominant subset

ENT Surgical Tech Salary 2026: $60K to $72K

ENT (otolaryngology) surgical technologists scrub for a wide-range case mix from routine T&A through cochlear implant, FESS, and head-and-neck oncology. Pay typically tracks the staff CST mean of $68,710 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2055), with academic head-and-neck and skull-base specialists reaching $75,000 to $80,000.

$60,000 - $66,000

T&A, BMT, septoplasty

Routine ENT CST

$64,000 - $72,000

Subspecialty volume

FESS / cochlear

$72,000 - $80,000

Academic centers

Head & neck oncology

Setting mix shapes pay

A larger share of ENT volume runs in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) than in most surgical specialties. BLS does not publish a separate ASC wage for surgical technologists; the outpatient care centers category that includes ASCs has a mean of $69,250 (BLS OEWS May 2025), close to general hospitals at $69,000. What ASC-heavy work trades away is differential income: predictable Monday to Friday daytime schedules and no night/weekend differentials. That compresses total compensation but increases work-life predictability.

Academic medical centers with strong head-and-neck oncology programs (free flap reconstruction, microvascular anastomosis, total laryngectomy) sit at the top of the pay range. These cases run long, often overlap with plastic surgery for reconstruction, and add 5 to 15 percent specialty premium over staff CST.

Notable subspecialty contexts

Cochlear implant centers: University of Iowa, House Ear Institute, MEEI Boston, Vanderbilt. Compact subspecialty CST teams.
Head and neck oncology: MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic. Long cases with reconstructive overlap.
Skull base: Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Pittsburgh UPMC. Often co-listed with neurosurgery.
Pediatric airway: Cincinnati Children's, Boston Children's, CHOP. Cross-trains with pediatric specialty CST.

Sources

BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2055: bls.gov/oes/current/oes292055.htm
BLS OEWS May 2025 industry cross-tab, outpatient care centers (NAICS 621400)
AST Annual Salary Survey (subspecialty premium estimates)

Neurosurgery Plastic / Reconstructive All Specialties Salary Calculator