Surgical Technologist Pay in the Great Plains Region

Data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that over 107,000 surgical technologists were employed in the United States as of May 2020.  The seven-state Great Plains region, with over 7,800 employed, accounted for about 7.3% of surgical technologist employment in the U.S. In general, the Great Plains region was a weak one for surgical technologist pay, despite the fact that Minnesota ranked among the top 10 states nationally for surgical technologist annual mean wages. About 70% of the region's surgical technologists lived in one of the other six states in the region, none of which registered an annual mean wage level for surgical technologists that exceeded the national average. Moreover, three states in the region ranked in the bottom quartile nationally for surgical technologist annual mean wages. From May 2020 BLS data, here is a summary look at surgical technologist pay in the Great Plains region:

Surgical Technologist Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	710	$43,780	46th
KS	970	$45,950	36th
MN	2,340	$61,300	6th
MO	1,890	$44,990	40th
NE	930	$49,200	28th
ND	260	$50,760	23rd
SD	730	$44,700	42nd
U.S.	107,400	$51,510	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on June 7, 2021