How much does a Surgical Assistant make?
Surgical Assistants in the United States bring home a median salary of $66,800 a year, or around $32.12 an hour. Pay spans a wide range: the bottom 10% earn under $39,690, while the top 10% earn $107,610.
That is $5,410 more than the median across all occupations in BLS data ($61,390).
Surgical Assistant salary range by percentile
Half of all Surgical Assistants earn between $50,170 and $88,010 a year.
| Pay level | Annual salary | Hourly rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $39,690 | $19.08 | |
| 25th percentile (early career) | $50,170 | $24.12 | |
| 50th percentile (median) | $66,800 | $32.12 | |
| 75th percentile (experienced) | $88,010 | $42.31 | |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $107,610 | $51.74 |
Highest-paying states for Surgical Assistant
Where you work matters more than almost anything else. District of Columbia leads the country for Surgical Assistant pay at $123,390 a year, followed by Arizona ($111,170) and Colorado ($107,440). At the other end, Oklahoma posts the lowest median at $40,160 — a gap of $83,230 for the same job, driven by local demand, industry mix, and cost of living.
| # | State | Median salary | Hourly | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $123,390 | $59.32 | +85% |
| 2 | Arizona | $111,170 | $53.45 | +66% |
| 3 | Colorado | $107,440 | $51.65 | +61% |
| 4 | Nevada | $100,820 | $48.47 | +51% |
| 5 | New Jersey | $90,710 | $43.61 | +36% |
Surgical Assistant salary in every state
Official BLS state-level figures across 44 states and territories. Click a state for the full local breakdown.
Workforce and education
About 22,000 people work as Surgical Assistants in the United States. The mean (average) wage is $72,710 — above the median, which means high earners pull the average up. On qualifications: a bachelor's degree (about 4 years of college) is the standard entry requirement, per O*NET occupation data.
Frequently asked questions
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Related salaries
Other healthcare roles with similar pay.