Surgical Technologist.
San Jose.
$87,000
median salary, 38% above the national average
$72,000 to $106,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Surgical Technologist salary in San Jose is $87,000, 38% above the national average. Entry level starts near $72,000. Experienced professionals push past $106,000. San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley, home to Apple, Google, Adobe, and Cisco. That spread is your negotiation window. 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 San Jose, 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 $106,840 for Surgical Technologists (SOC 29-2055) in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, based on 700 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$77,640
25th percentile
$82,480
Median
$106,840
75th percentile
$123,880
90th percentile
$133,480
Workers surveyed
700
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 San Jose 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 $78,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$57,000
to $70,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$74,000
to $91,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$96,000
to $113,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$109,000
to $135,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $23,000 to the total package.
Base
$87,000
Equity
$13,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $110,000
How San Jose compares.
San Jose, CA
$87,000
Cost of living: 38% above average
National Average
$63,000
San Jose is $24,000 above
Surgical Technologist salary by city.
Salary by role in San Jose.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Surgical Technologist offer in San Jose, understand the terrain. San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley, home to Apple, Google, Adobe, and Cisco. The city consistently ranks among the highest paying metros in the country for technology roles. Competition for talent is fierce, with employers offering aggressive compensation packages including equity, signing bonuses, and premium benefits to attract and retain engineers. 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 San Jose, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 38% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
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: california's top 13.3% state rate applies fully here. While gross salaries in San Jose are among the nation's highest, the tax burden means net pay may not stretch as far as expected. When someone quotes you $87,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Always negotiate equity alongside base salary. San Jose employers expect candidates to evaluate total compensation including RSUs, and leaving equity on the table is leaving money behind. The range for Surgical Technologists in San Jose runs from $72,000 to $106,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- An Electrician in San Jose earns $86,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in San Jose is CTO at $402,000
Common questions.
Surgical Technologist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Jose.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Surgical Technologist Salary in San Jose, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/surgical-technologist/san-jose
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