Surgical Assistants · SOC 29-9093

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Surgical Assistantss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for surgical assistants. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 89 metro areas

Surgical Assistants: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$161,710	Not published	Not published
2	Florence, SC	$133,380	200	2.3
3	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$102,730	200	0.2
4	Lexington-Fayette, KY	$102,330	100	0.4
5	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$100,820	200	0.2
6	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	$99,530	270	0.4
7	Canton-Massillon, OH	$97,800	70	0.4
8	El Paso, TX	$94,730	60	0.2
9	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$93,380	110	0.1
10	Colorado Springs, CO	$88,570	40	0.1
11	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$87,080	490	0.1
12	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$87,080	340	0.3
13	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$86,890	120	0.1
14	Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	$84,750	60	0.2
15	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	$84,460	40	0.2
16	Boulder, CO	$83,030	30	0.2
17	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	$81,690	420	0.5
18	Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	$80,800	30	0.1
19	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$80,740	90	0.2
20	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$80,550	50	0.0
21	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$80,210	2,090	0.5
22	Amarillo, TX	$79,820	Not published	Not published
23	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$79,240	160	0.1
24	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	$79,110	230	0.2
25	Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC	$78,980	50	0.3

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Surgical Assistants overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.