Surgical Technologist.
Nashville.
$64,000
median salary, 2% above the national average
$53,000 to $78,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Surgical Technologist pay in Nashville ranges from $53,000 to $78,000 in 2026. The median is $64,000, 2% above the national average. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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 Nashville, 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 $63,120 for Surgical Technologists (SOC 29-2055) in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area, based on 1,120 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$49,170
25th percentile
$57,320
Median
$63,120
75th percentile
$71,160
90th percentile
$82,080
Workers surveyed
1,120
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 Nashville 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 $57,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$42,000
to $51,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$54,000
to $67,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$70,000
to $83,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$80,000
to $99,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $17,000 to the total package.
Base
$64,000
Equity
$10,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $81,000
How Nashville compares.
Nashville, TN
$64,000
Cost of living: at average
National Average
$63,000
Nashville is $1,000 above
Surgical Technologist salary by city.
Salary by role in Nashville.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Surgical Technologist offer in Nashville, understand the terrain. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. The city is home to HCA Healthcare and a growing corridor of health tech startups. Nashville's moderate cost of living, combined with Tennessee's lack of state income tax on wages, makes it increasingly popular for corporate relocations and remote workers. 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 Nashville, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
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: tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. When someone quotes you $64,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. The range for Surgical Technologists in Nashville runs from $53,000 to $78,000. 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
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Common questions.
Surgical Technologist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Nashville.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Surgical Technologist Salary in Nashville, TN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/surgical-technologist/nashville
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