Multiple states deemed best for healthcare by U.S. News & World Report do not rank in the top half in terms of hourly mean wage for surgical techs, adjusted for cost of living, according to Becker's analysis.
The analysis calculated the cost of living-adjusted hourly mean wage for surgical techs using May 2023 salary data from BLS and 2024 cost of living index data from the World Population Review.
Hawaii and Massachusetts were named the top two best states for healthcare in 2024, but they have the lowest cost of living-adjusted hourly mean wage for surgical techs. At the same time, Oklahoma was ranked the second-worst state for healthcare but the 13th highest for surgical tech pay.
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10 best states for healthcare |
Surgical tech hourly mean wage, adjusted by cost of living |
State pay rank out of 50 |
|
|
1. Hawaii |
$18.17 |
50 |
|
|
2. Massachusetts |
$22.92 |
49 |
|
|
3. Connecticut |
$33.62 |
3 |
|
|
4. New Jersey |
$29.60 |
21 |
|
|
5. Rhode Island |
$27.66 |
31 |
|
|
6. California |
$27.23 |
35 |
|
|
7. Maryland |
$25.36 |
46 |
|
|
8. New York |
$28.11 |
28 |
|
|
9. Delaware |
$27.64 |
32 |
|
|
10. Washington |
$30.74 |
12 |
|
|
10 worst states for healthcare |
Surgical tech hourly mean wage, adjusted by cost of living |
State pay rank out of 50 |
|
|
50. Mississippi |
$26.55 |
42 |
|
|
49. Oklahoma |
$30.43 |
13 |
|
|
48. West Virginia |
$25.94 |
44 |
|
|
47. Arkansas |
$26.67 |
40 |
|
|
46. Louisiana |
$27.09 |
37 |
|
|
45. Missouri |
$33.07 |
5 |
|
|
44. Alabama |
$24.93 |
47 |
|
|
43. South Dakota |
$26.20 |
43 |
|
|
42. Tennessee |
$30.39 |
14 |
|
|
41. Indiana |
$30.87 |
11 |