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The national median salary for Surgical Assistants is $66,789 per year ($32.11/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $50,170 and $88,005 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $107,619 per year. There are approximately 22,270 surgical assistants employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.1%
Faster than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
25K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth92% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
9K
$77,260
Offices of Dentists
NAICS 621200
6K
$56,100
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
4K
$80,210
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
980
$70,480
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
340
$93,070
Wage range across top 5 industries: $56,100 to $93,070 (66% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.08
$39,686
P25
$24.12
$50,170
P50MEDIAN
$32.11
$66,789
P75
$42.31
$88,005
P90
$51.74
$107,619
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average surgical assistants salary?
The national median salary for Surgical Assistants is $66,789 per year ($32.11/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $50,170 and $88,005 annually.
How much do top-earning surgical assistants make?
The 90th percentile salary for Surgical Assistants is $107,619 per year ($51.74/hr). The 75th percentile is $88,005 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for surgical assistants?
Entry-level Surgical Assistants (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,686 per year ($19.08/hr). The 25th percentile is $50,170 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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