National pay at a glance
| Hourly pay | BLS, May 2025 | Live staff listings, Oct 21, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.50 | – |
| 25th percentile | $19.13 | $23.05 |
| Median | $22.93 | $26.96 |
| 75th percentile | $28.16 | $30.12 |
| 90th percentile | $33.63 | – |
| Mean | $24.28 | – |
| Sample | 77,420 employed (survey estimate) | 104 listings with hourly pay |
A full-time year is about 2,080 paid hours (40 × 52), so the BLS median of $22.93 an hour works out to roughly $47,694; BLS's own annual median is $47,700. Posted listing pay is the midpoint of each advertised range, before shift differentials and sign-on bonuses. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
294 live openings show pay. Browse them
Salary guides by state and city
Percentiles, metro-area pay and live listings for the states and cities people search most:
California Texas Florida New York Massachusetts Pennsylvania Georgia New Jersey Ohio Arizona New York City Los Angeles Houston Dallas–Fort Worth Chicago Boston
Highest-paying states (BLS median)
Lowest BLS medians: Mississippi ($16.90), Alabama ($17.21), Louisiana ($17.29). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
Highest posted pay right now
States with at least 3 live staff technician listings that show hourly pay (Oct 21, 2026). Small samples move week to week.
Sterile processing tech pay in every state
Posted columns count live listings on SterileShift as of Oct 21, 2026 (number of listings in brackets). BLS columns are the May 2025 survey for 31-9093.
| State | Posted staff, hourly | Posted travel, weekly | BLS median | BLS 10th–90th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | – | – | $17.21 | $14.51–$21.96 | 1,000 |
| Alaska 3 jobs | $20.00 (1) | $1,410 (1) | $24.00 | $22.00–$37.30 | 220 |
| Arizona 4 jobs | – | $1,156 (2) | $22.50 | $16.97–$29.21 | 2,320 |
| Arkansas 2 jobs | – | $1,202 (2) | $18.32 | $15.62–$23.33 | 320 |
| California 60 jobs | $39.95 (11) | $1,451 (23) | $29.50 | $21.00–$40.98 | 8,720 |
| Colorado 10 jobs | $25.70 (5) | $1,474 (2) | $22.93 | $17.19–$31.33 | 1,950 |
| Connecticut 2 jobs | – | $1,284 (2) | $23.07 | $18.71–$30.14 | 1,060 |
| Delaware | – | – | $25.63 | $22.65–$30.50 | 190 |
| District of Columbia 1 job | – | $1,198 (1) | $23.40 | $18.84–$37.41 | 310 |
| Florida 30 jobs | $22.46 (3) | $1,029 (1) | $22.06 | $17.13–$29.81 | 5,250 |
| Georgia 11 jobs | – | $1,127 (7) | $23.00 | $17.63–$30.27 | 1,860 |
| Hawaii | – | – | $24.82 | $20.59–$29.41 | 220 |
| Idaho 4 jobs | – | – | $22.33 | $17.12–$29.01 | 580 |
| Illinois 7 jobs | $22.40 (3) | $1,378 (4) | $23.10 | $18.40–$31.92 | 2,800 |
| Indiana 14 jobs | – | – | $21.74 | $17.02–$29.10 | 1,750 |
| Iowa 7 jobs | – | $1,346 (1) | $19.20 | $17.82–$25.15 | 590 |
| Kansas 8 jobs | $23.00 (6) | $1,523 (2) | $21.77 | $16.50–$28.73 | 740 |
| Kentucky 1 job | – | $1,231 (1) | $22.54 | $16.99–$29.04 | 1,120 |
| Louisiana 16 jobs | – | $1,097 (4) | $17.29 | $13.40–$24.25 | 620 |
| Maine 1 job | – | $1,802 (1) | $22.53 | $18.28–$28.74 | 510 |
| Maryland 9 jobs | $26.25 (4) | $1,200 (5) | $23.40 | $18.00–$30.20 | 1,160 |
| Massachusetts 72 jobs | $28.35 (31) | $1,223 (10) | $28.16 | $19.70–$37.08 | 1,900 |
| Michigan 33 jobs | – | $1,090 (6) | $21.96 | $18.15–$27.91 | 2,420 |
| Minnesota 11 jobs | $20.04 (3) | $1,434 (8) | $24.07 | $19.67–$29.60 | 1,390 |
| Mississippi 1 job | – | – | $16.90 | $14.49–$22.75 | 350 |
| Missouri 20 jobs | $26.00 (6) | $1,304 (7) | $20.91 | $16.59–$28.09 | 1,970 |
| Montana 1 job | – | – | $21.47 | $17.70–$27.29 | 330 |
| Nebraska | – | – | $19.94 | $17.43–$27.53 | 550 |
| Nevada 4 jobs | – | $1,493 (4) | $22.43 | $18.49–$29.27 | 510 |
| New Hampshire 4 jobs | $25.49 (1) | – | $23.51 | $19.32–$29.89 | 380 |
| New Jersey 5 jobs | $23.06 (2) | $1,162 (3) | $24.18 | $18.29–$33.45 | 2,440 |
| New Mexico 2 jobs | $21.50 (2) | – | $17.66 | $14.92–$27.18 | 300 |
| New York 15 jobs | $30.50 (9) | $1,358 (4) | $27.56 | $18.82–$34.13 | 5,190 |
| North Carolina 7 jobs | $26.00 (6) | $1,246 (1) | $21.70 | $17.50–$28.34 | 2,900 |
| North Dakota | – | – | $18.71 | $18.08–$29.54 | 350 |
| Ohio 22 jobs | – | $1,234 (15) | $21.90 | $17.60–$27.82 | 3,210 |
| Oklahoma 3 jobs | – | $1,202 (3) | $20.89 | $16.54–$27.77 | 690 |
| Oregon 20 jobs | $27.50 (3) | $1,300 (10) | $23.51 | $17.21–$30.66 | 1,570 |
| Pennsylvania 25 jobs | – | $1,166 (7) | $22.03 | $18.03–$27.44 | 3,450 |
| Rhode Island | – | – | $24.74 | $19.20–$30.05 | 190 |
| South Carolina 43 jobs | – | $1,049 (3) | $20.44 | $15.31–$27.84 | 1,160 |
| South Dakota 1 job | – | – | $20.35 | $15.23–$26.29 | 480 |
| Tennessee 25 jobs | – | $945 (1) | $22.59 | $16.87–$29.02 | 1,590 |
| Texas 39 jobs | – | $1,560 (2) | $22.58 | $17.01–$33.63 | 4,520 |
| Utah | – | – | $23.07 | $19.12–$31.21 | 600 |
| Vermont | – | – | $23.56 | $19.02–$35.26 | 140 |
| Virginia 9 jobs | $24.00 (5) | $1,342 (4) | $22.40 | $17.94–$29.46 | 1,840 |
| Washington 8 jobs | $27.00 (1) | $1,032 (1) | $28.28 | $19.81–$38.41 | 1,670 |
| West Virginia 12 jobs | – | $1,354 (2) | $21.55 | $16.68–$24.98 | 530 |
| Wisconsin 15 jobs | $19.45 (2) | – | $22.87 | $18.35–$28.45 | 1,380 |
| Wyoming | – | – | $23.18 | $18.07–$28.95 | 120 |
"n/a" means BLS did not publish an estimate for that state. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
How we calculate the posted figures
- Each figure is the median of the midpoint of each listing's advertised pay range. The number of listings is in brackets; 1–2 listings is an indication, not a benchmark.
- "Staff" means permanent technician roles paid hourly (leads, supervisors and managers are excluded; see lead & supervisor pay). "Travel" means contracts quoted weekly; see travel SPD pay.
- Only listings where the employer published pay are counted. Sign-on bonuses are excluded. The table rebuilds every day from the latest crawl.
- BLS figures are survey estimates of wages actually paid to everyone in the occupation, so they include long-tenured staff; posted pay reflects what employers offer new hires today.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a sterile processing technician make?
The BLS puts the national median for medical equipment preparers (SOC 31-9093, the occupation that covers sterile processing technicians) at $22.93 an hour, or $47,700 a year, in May 2025. In live job listings on SterileShift as of Oct 21, 2026, the median posted pay for staff technicians is $26.96 an hour across 104 listings that show hourly pay. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile).
Which states pay sterile processing techs the most?
By BLS May 2025 median hourly wage for 31-9093, the top states are California ($29.50), Washington ($28.28), Massachusetts ($28.16), New York ($27.56), Delaware ($25.63). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile).
How much do entry-level sterile processing techs make?
BLS reports the 10th percentile wage for medical equipment preparers at $17.50 an hour and the 90th percentile at $33.63 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile).
Sources
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables
- SterileShift job data: 587 live sterile processing openings collected from public hospital and staffing-agency career sites, Oct 21, 2026. How we collect it.
SterileShift is not affiliated with HSPA, CBSPD or the BLS. Rules, fees and dates change: confirm on the official sites before you apply or pay for anything.