Surgical Technologist.
Seattle.
$71,000
median salary, 25% above the national average
$58,000 to $86,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
Seattle is 24% more expensive than the national average. For Surgical Technologists, that shakes out to a median of $71,000, with the full range spanning $58,000 to $86,000. Surgical specialty drives compensation, with cardiovascular, neuro, and robotic surgery techs earning the most. Know the range before you walk in.
Salary range
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How Seattle compares
Seattle, WA
$71,000
Cost of living: 24% above average
National Average
$57,000
Seattle is $14,000 above
What you should know
The Surgical Technologist landscape in Seattle is not what most salary sites will tell you. Seattle is home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a dense cluster of cloud computing, gaming, and AI companies. The presence of major tech headquarters drives some of the highest engineering salaries outside the Bay Area. Seattle's job market is particularly strong for cloud infrastructure, machine learning, and enterprise software 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 Seattle, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 24% 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: washington State has no personal income tax, which significantly boosts take home pay. However, state and local sales taxes are among the highest in the country at roughly 10.25%. When someone quotes you $71,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Remind employers that no state income tax makes your effective compensation higher. You can accept a slightly lower gross salary and still take home more than in California. The range for Surgical Technologists in Seattle runs from $58,000 to $86,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Seattle
Negotiating in Seattle
Remind employers that no state income tax makes your effective compensation higher. You can accept a slightly lower gross salary and still take home more than in California.