In an October commentary, we examined Surgical Technologist Pay in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas.  As is the case with many professions, the major metro areas in the U.S. are the top employment centers for surgical technologists.  Even so, it is in smaller metro markets where surgical technologists will frequently find better average compensation levels. This can be seen in May 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reveals that only three of the 20 largest metro areas in the nation were among the 20 best metropolitan markets for surgical technologist pay:

20 Best Metropolitan Markets for Surgical Technologist Pay

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Annual Mean Wages
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA		730	$80,450
2	San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (#)		1,460	$80,170
3	Vallejo-Fairfield, CA		100	$77,460
4	Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade		620	$74,470
5	Santa Rosa, CA		140	$74,330
6	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA		70	$71,570
7	Danbury, CT		60	$71,460
8	Northern Valley California non-metro		50	$68,250
9	San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (#)		670	$68,010
10	Eastern Sierra California non-metro		40	$67,520
11	Stockton-Lodi, CA		140	$67,060
12	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#)		4,510	$67,020
13	Reno, NV		180	$66,610
14	Salinas, CA		130	$66,580
15	Redding, CA		70	$66,520
16	New Haven, CT		310	$66,500
17	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV		850	$66,190
18	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT		270	$66,190
19	Anchorage, AK		180	$66,190
20	Alaska non-metro		40	$65,920
	National		109,060	$53,590

(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted December 10, 2022