Comparisons

• About 3,030 surgical technologists were employed in North Carolina in 2009, of the estimated 91,250 working in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their average pay in North Carolina was $18.02 per hour, equaling $37,480 per year. That was about 8 percent lower than the nationwide average hourly wage for this occupation of $19.57, or $40,710 annually.
  
  

Salary Range

• The middle 50 percent of North Carolina surgical technologists were earning $15.35 to $20.45 per hour in 2009, translating to $31,930 to $42,530 per year, as determined by the bureau. The bottom 10 percent of surgical technology salaries in North Carolina equaled $28,410 and less per year, and the top 10 percent $48,750 and higher.
  
  

High-Paying Areas

• The highest-paying city in North Carolina for surgical technologists was Durham, with an average hourly pay rate of $19.80, equaling $41,190 per year. Surgical techs in Fayetteville and the Raleigh metro area were earning very close to the national average, at about $19.60 per hour on average. In Winston-Salem, Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton and Greenville, the average hourly pay was between about $18.20 and $19.
  
  

Other Areas

• The lowest-paying region in North Carolina for surgical technologists was the western nonmetropolitan area, where the average pay was $15.77 per hour, ranking in the bottom 25 percent nationwide. Average pay rates ranged from about $16.50 to $17 per hour in the western central and northeastern nonmetropolitan areas, and in Wilmington. Surgical techs were making an average salary in the range of about $17.30 to $17.70 in Asheville, Charlotte, Gastonia, Concord, Greensboro and High Point.