Surgical Technologist.
Louisville.
$55,000
median salary, 13% below the national average
$46,000 to $68,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Surgical Technologist offer in Louisville, KY, here is the reality: $46,000 to $68,000, with $55,000 as the midpoint. 13% below the national average. Surgical specialty drives compensation, with cardiovascular, neuro, and robotic surgery techs earning the most. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Surgical Technologist in Louisville, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $63,590 for Surgical Technologists (SOC 29-2055) in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area, based on 540 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$49,310
25th percentile
$61,940
Median
$63,590
75th percentile
$77,910
90th percentile
$90,550
Workers surveyed
540
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Surgical Technologists (SOC 29-2055) rather than Surgical Technologist specifically. The Louisville range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-2055Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $49,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $44,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$47,000
to $58,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$61,000
to $72,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $14,000 to the total package.
Base
$55,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $69,000
How Louisville compares.
Louisville, KY
$55,000
Cost of living: 12% below average
National Average
$63,000
Louisville is $8,000 below
Surgical Technologist salary by city.
Salary by role in Louisville.
What you should know.
The Surgical Technologist landscape in Louisville is not what most salary sites will tell you. Louisville is home to UPS Worldport, the world's largest automated package handling facility, making it a logistics and supply chain powerhouse. The city also has strong healthcare and bourbon distillery industries. Its central location and affordable cost of living make it attractive for distribution and operations roles. Surgical specialty drives compensation, with cardiovascular, neuro, and robotic surgery techs earning the most. Certification through NBSTSA is increasingly required and commands higher pay. Level I trauma centers and academic medical centers pay above community hospitals, and call pay for after-hours coverage adds meaningful income.
New surgical techs start at $45,000 to $50,000 with certification. Experienced techs in specialty ORs earn $58,000 to $68,000 after five years. Lead surgical techs or first assistants can reach $70,000 to $82,000, with surgical first assist certification opening the highest pay tier. In Louisville, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 12% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Surgical techs receive call pay of $3 to $6 per hour when on standby, plus overtime for emergency cases. Benefits include health insurance, scrub allowances, and certification renewal reimbursement. Some hospitals offer retention bonuses in tight labor markets. And on the tax side: kentucky has a flat 4% state income tax. Louisville has an occupational tax of about 2.2%. The combined rate is moderate, and the low cost of living offsets the local tax. When someone quotes you $55,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage UPS and the logistics corridor when negotiating. Supply chain and operations professionals command premiums in Louisville's distribution heavy economy. The range for Surgical Technologists in Louisville runs from $46,000 to $68,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Common questions.
Surgical Technologist salary in other cities.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Surgical Technologist Salary in Louisville, KY." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/surgical-technologist/louisville
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