Surgery Assistant Salary in the United States

How much does a Surgery Assistant make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Surgery Assistant in the United States is $118,972 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $57.

However, a Surgery Assistant's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $133,283
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $109,207 to $126,463
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $100,316
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View as table View as graph 25% $109,207 10% $100,316 90% $133,283 75% $126,463 $118,972 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Surgery Assistant Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $126,463 $10,539 $2,432 $61
Average $118,972 $9,914 $2,288 $57
25th Percentile $109,207 $9,101 $2,100 $53
Check out Surgery Assistant Job Openings in the United States
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The Sam Simon Foundation - LOS ANGELES, CA

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Key Factors That Influence Surgery Assistant Salaries

A Surgery Assistant's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Surgery Assistant Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Surgery Assistant's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $116,666
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $117,344
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $120,237
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $122,587
  • Expert (over 8 years): $123,174
Levels Salary
Entry Level Surgery Assistant$116,666
Intermediate Level Surgery Assistant$117,344
Senior Level Surgery Assistant$120,237
Specialist Level Surgery Assistant$122,587
Expert Level Surgery Assistant$123,174
$116,666 0 yr
$117,344 < 2 yrs
$120,237 2-4 yrs
$122,587 5-8 yrs
$123,174 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Surgery Assistants

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $150,059
  • San Francisco: $148,584
  • Oakland: $145,289

What Skills Can Increase a Surgery Assistant's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Collaboration (Mentioned in 4.12% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 3.45% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
  • Medical Services (Mentioned in 2.8% Job Postings): A service that provides medical treatment to people within an area or country: In poorer countries without a reliable health service, 90% of care for people with Aids-related illnesses is carried out in the home. health services.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Collaboration 4.12%
Acute Care 3.45%
Medical Services 2.8%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Surgery Assistant's salary.
  • Wound Care: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Team Building: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Diagnostic Tests: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Wound Care
$132,059
11%
Team Building
$132,059
11%
Diagnostic Tests
$129,679
9%
Planning
$129,679
9%
Emergency Medicine
$123,731
4%
Geriatrics
$122,541
3%
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How Education impacts a Surgery Assistant's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Surgery Assistants enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Surgery Assistant with a Bachelor's Degree is between $125,465 and $133,530).

Surgery Assistant Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Surgery Assistant
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 7.1%
High School 7.1%
Associates 3.6%
Bachelors 19.1%
Masters 66.4%
Doctorate 3.8%
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Surgery Assistant Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Surgery Assistant's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Surgery Assistant

Salaries for a Surgery Assistant can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $231,297 in 2023 to around $226,109 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Surgery Assistant salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Surgery Assistant Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$231,297
2024
$236,791
2025
$226,109
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $231,297
2024 $236,791
2025 $226,109
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Surgery Assistant

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Surgery Assistant

Here are companies hiring for Surgery Assistant and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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