Surgical Tech Jobs in California

Type

Location

Salary

California Surgical Tech Jobs

California pays surgical technologists a mean of $77,430 and a median of $76,210, among the highest in the country, but it also has more employed surgical techs than nearly any other state and some of the most competitive hiring standards in the profession.

Browse live surgical tech and OR technician openings across California below.

Where surgical techs work in California

Kaiser Permanente is the single largest employer of surgical technologists in the state, with facilities spanning every major metro. Sutter Health dominates Northern California, while Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health, and Dignity Health anchor the Los Angeles market. Stanford Health Care and UCSF operate high-acuity academic surgical programs in the Bay Area. Job density is highest in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose, but regional hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers create openings throughout the Central Valley and inland communities as well.

Surgical tech salaries in California

BLS data shows a mean of $77,430 and median of $76,210 statewide. Entry-level techs near the 10th percentile start around $50,690, while experienced surgical technologists at the 90th percentile earn approximately $100,420. Specialty, system size, and geography all move the number significantly within those bounds.

Certification in California

California has no state licensure requirement but does require surgical techs to meet training standards before working in an operating room, typically an accredited program or equivalent military surgical training. Kaiser, Cedars-Sinai, and most major systems expect CST certification on top of that baseline. Candidates without formal credentials face a narrower set of options in this market.

Becoming a surgical tech in California

CAAHEP and ABHES accredited programs are available at community colleges throughout the state, running 12 to 24 months toward a certificate, diploma, or associate degree. The density of accredited programs in the LA and Bay Area metros means most candidates have multiple options within commuting distance.

Cost of living

The wage premium is real but so is the offset. Housing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego ranks among the most expensive in the country. Surgical tech salaries go considerably further in Sacramento, Fresno, and inland communities than they do on the coast.

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