How much do sterile processing technicians make?
Answer
Sterile processing technicians in the US earned a median of $47,700 a year ($22.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $39,800 to $58,570.
- Median annual pay
- $47,700
- Mean $50,510
- Median hourly pay
- $22.93
- Mean $24.28
- Typical range (10th–90th)
- $36.4K–$70.0K
- $36,410 to $69,950
- US jobs
- 77,420
- +10.8% projected, 2025–35
BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology
How to become a sterile processing technician: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: California
Sterile Processing Technician pay range
Annual wages, May 2025
- 10th percentile$36,410
- 25th percentile$39,800
- Median$47,700
- 75th percentile$58,570
- 90th percentile$69,950
Half of all sterile processing technicians earned more than $47,700 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $36,410; the top 10% made over $69,950. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $39,800 to $58,570.
These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,410 | $17.50 | $3,034 |
| 25th | $39,800 | $19.13 | $3,317 |
| Median (50th) | $47,700 | $22.93 | $3,975 |
| 75th | $58,570 | $28.16 | $4,881 |
| 90th | $69,950 | $33.63 | $5,829 |
| Mean (average) | $50,510 | $24.28 | $4,209 |
Sterile Processing Technician salary by state
Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024
Highest-paying states
- 1. California $61,370
- 2. Washington $58,830
- 3. Massachusetts $58,580
- 4. New York $57,320
- 5. Delaware $53,300
Lowest-paying states
- 51. Mississippi $35,160
- 50. Alabama $35,800
- 49. Louisiana $35,960
- 48. New Mexico $36,720
- 47. Arkansas $38,100
Best after cost of living: California. Its median of $61,370 is worth about $55,428 at national-average prices.
| Alabama | $35,800 | 50 | $40,305 | 50 | $17.21 | 1,000 | 0.47 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $49,920 | 10 | $48,770 | 18 | $24.00 | 220 | 0.69 |
| Arizona | $46,790 | 27 | $46,475 | 35 | $22.50 | 2,320 | 0.72 |
| Arkansas | $38,100 | 47 | $43,825 | 46 | $18.32 | 320 | 0.25 |
| California | $61,370 | 1 | $55,428 | 1 | $29.50 | 8,720 | 0.48 |
| Colorado | $47,700 | 21 | $46,287 | 38 | $22.93 | 1,950 | 0.68 |
| Connecticut | $47,980 | 18 | $46,308 | 37 | $23.07 | 1,060 | 0.62 |
| Delaware | $53,300 | 5 | $53,403 | 4 | $25.63 | 190 | 0.40 |
| District of Columbia | $48,670 | 15 | $44,285 | 45 | $23.40 | 310 | 0.45 |
| Florida | $45,890 | 31 | $44,375 | 44 | $22.06 | 5,250 | 0.53 |
| Georgia | $47,850 | 20 | $49,692 | 15 | $23.00 | 1,860 | 0.38 |
| Hawaii | $51,630 | 6 | $46,957 | 32 | $24.82 | 220 | 0.35 |
| Idaho | $46,450 | 30 | $48,642 | 19 | $22.33 | 580 | 0.67 |
| Illinois | $48,050 | 17 | $48,070 | 24 | $23.10 | 2,800 | 0.46 |
| Indiana | $45,210 | 36 | $48,442 | 21 | $21.74 | 1,750 | 0.55 |
| Iowa | $39,930 | 45 | $45,498 | 42 | $19.20 | 590 | 0.38 |
| Kansas | $45,280 | 35 | $50,273 | 12 | $21.77 | 740 | 0.52 |
| Kentucky | $46,880 | 25 | $51,997 | 7 | $22.54 | 1,120 | 0.56 |
| Louisiana | $35,960 | 49 | $40,768 | 48 | $17.29 | 620 | 0.32 |
| Maine | $46,860 | 26 | $48,284 | 23 | $22.53 | 510 | 0.79 |
| Maryland | $48,680 | 14 | $46,380 | 36 | $23.40 | 1,160 | 0.42 |
| Massachusetts | $58,580 | 3 | $55,391 | 2 | $28.16 | 1,900 | 0.52 |
| Michigan | $45,670 | 33 | $47,466 | 28 | $21.96 | 2,420 | 0.55 |
| Minnesota | $50,070 | 9 | $50,770 | 9 | $24.07 | 1,390 | 0.47 |
| Mississippi | $35,160 | 51 | $40,436 | 49 | $16.90 | 350 | 0.30 |
| Missouri | $43,480 | 40 | $47,876 | 25 | $20.91 | 1,970 | 0.67 |
| Montana | $44,670 | 39 | $47,197 | 30 | $21.47 | 330 | 0.64 |
| Nebraska | $41,480 | 44 | $46,036 | 41 | $19.94 | 550 | 0.54 |
| Nevada | $46,640 | 28 | $46,650 | 34 | $22.43 | 510 | 0.33 |
| New Hampshire | $48,900 | 12 | $46,945 | 33 | $23.51 | 380 | 0.55 |
| New Jersey | $50,280 | 8 | $46,211 | 39 | $24.18 | 2,440 | 0.57 |
| New Mexico | $36,720 | 48 | $39,821 | 51 | $17.66 | 300 | 0.35 |
| New York | $57,320 | 4 | $53,113 | 5 | $27.56 | 5,190 | 0.54 |
| North Carolina | $45,130 | 37 | $47,845 | 26 | $21.70 | 2,900 | 0.59 |
| North Dakota | $38,910 | 46 | $43,739 | 47 | $18.71 | 350 | 0.82 |
| Ohio | $45,540 | 34 | $49,087 | 17 | $21.90 | 3,210 | 0.58 |
| Oklahoma | $43,460 | 41 | $49,475 | 16 | $20.89 | 690 | 0.41 |
| Oregon | $48,890 | 13 | $47,300 | 29 | $23.51 | 1,570 | 0.80 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,820 | 32 | $46,960 | 31 | $22.03 | 3,450 | 0.57 |
| Rhode Island | $51,460 | 7 | $50,313 | 11 | $24.74 | 190 | 0.39 |
| South Carolina | $42,510 | 42 | $45,344 | 43 | $20.44 | 1,160 | 0.50 |
| South Dakota | $42,330 | 43 | $47,784 | 27 | $20.35 | 480 | 1.05 |
| Tennessee | $46,990 | 23 | $51,148 | 8 | $22.59 | 1,590 | 0.48 |
| Texas | $46,970 | 24 | $48,394 | 22 | $22.58 | 4,520 | 0.32 |
| Utah | $47,980 | 19 | $48,531 | 20 | $23.07 | 600 | 0.35 |
| Vermont | $48,990 | 11 | $50,011 | 14 | $23.56 | 140 | 0.46 |
| Virginia | $46,580 | 29 | $46,071 | 40 | $22.40 | 1,840 | 0.45 |
| Washington | $58,830 | 2 | $54,975 | 3 | $28.28 | 1,670 | 0.47 |
| West Virginia | $44,830 | 38 | $50,091 | 13 | $21.55 | 530 | 0.75 |
| Wisconsin | $47,570 | 22 | $50,555 | 10 | $22.87 | 1,380 | 0.47 |
| Wyoming | $48,210 | 16 | $52,012 | 6 | $23.18 | 120 | 0.41 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.
Best-paying metro areas for sterile processing technicians
244 metro areas with published pay
| Metro area | Median | Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $82,610 | $76,153 | 140 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $82,140 | $71,047 | 1,070 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $81,370 | $74,043 | 50 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $81,090 | $73,436 | 540 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $79,490 | $74,520 | 680 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $75,800 | $69,800 | 60 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $67,830 | $60,624 | 630 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,870 | $55,672 | 910 |
| Redding, CA | $61,840 | $61,420 | 40 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $61,160 | $62,185 | 40 |
| Metro area | Jobs | Median | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 5,270 | $58,870 | $52,300 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 3,010 | $59,520 | $52,410 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2,140 | $48,630 | $46,942 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,800 | $47,320 | $45,801 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,660 | $50,370 | $49,116 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,350 | $46,330 | $40,585 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,310 | $60,840 | $56,195 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 1,280 | $45,490 | $43,004 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,270 | $47,270 | $47,927 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,210 | $50,300 | $48,792 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).
What moves sterile processing technician pay: employers and settings
Setting is the biggest pay lever. Outpatient care centers pay a median of $57,000 and specialty hospitals $56,200. Both are well above general medical and surgical hospitals at $47,910 (the setting where most techs work). Offices of physicians pay $49,260. Offices of dentists, where the job is closer to a dental sterilization assistant role, pay the least at $37,630. Staffing agencies, which place travel and contract SPD techs, pay a median of $50,160.
State matters a great deal. California has the highest median at $61,370, followed by Washington at $58,830, Massachusetts at $58,580, and New York at $57,320, and the lowest medians are in Louisiana at $35,960, Alabama at $35,800, and Mississippi at $35,160. California still comes out on top after adjusting for living costs, at $55,428.
State government employers pay a median of $50,970 and private employers $47,630. Across all techs, pay runs from $36,410, the 10th percentile, to $69,950, the 90th; that range reflects setting, state and shift as well as experience. Night and weekend shift differentials, certification (many hospitals pay more for CRCST holders or require it) and lead-tech roles all push individual pay toward the top.
| Industry | Share of jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 68.8% | $47,910 |
| Offices of Dentists | 9.2% | $37,630 |
| Offices of Physicians | 5.8% | $49,260 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 5.5% | $57,000 |
| Employment Services | 2.2% | $50,160 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals | 1.5% | $56,200 |
| Employer type | Jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Private employers | 69,890 | $47,630 |
| State government (incl. schools and hospitals) | 3,150 | $50,970 |
| Local government (incl. schools and hospitals) | 4,360 | $46,330 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).
Sterile Processing Technician pay over time
Median annual pay, 2015–2025
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
The median rose from $33,330 in 2015 to $47,700 in 2025, up 43% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $45,056 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 6% over the period.
BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.
What sterile processing technicians do
A sterile processing technician cleans, inspects, packages and sterilizes the surgical instruments and equipment a hospital reuses on patients. The work happens in the sterile processing department (SPD), sometimes called central sterile or central service, usually in a basement or a floor near the operating rooms. Instruments arrive dirty from surgery, go through decontamination by hand and in automated washers, then move to a clean room where techs check every piece, rebuild instrument trays to a count sheet, wrap them and run them through steam or low-temperature sterilizers.
The official government title is medical equipment preparer, and 68.8% of these jobs are in general hospitals. Others work in surgery centers and outpatient clinics, dental and physician offices, and specialty hospitals. SPD techs rarely see patients, but they work closely with operating room nurses and surgical technologists, who depend on a complete, sterile tray arriving on time. Shifts often cover evenings, nights and weekends because operating rooms run late and emergencies do not wait. You stand most of the shift, lift heavy instrument trays, and wear gowns, face shields and gloves in decontamination.
A typical day
- Sort dirty instruments coming back from surgery and scrub them by hand or load them into washers and ultrasonic cleaners
- Look over clamps, scissors and scopes under magnification for rust, cracks, dull edges and leftover tissue
- Build instrument trays piece by piece against the count sheet so surgeons get exactly what the procedure needs
- Wrap or containerize sets, then run steam autoclaves and low-temperature sterilizers and log each load
- Read biological and chemical indicators and pull any load that fails
- Deliver case carts to the operating rooms and restock sterile supplies, discarding anything past date or damaged
- Tag broken equipment for repair and tell a supervisor before it reaches a patient
Also called: sterile processing tech, sterile processing, spd tech, central sterile tech, central sterile technician (central sterile tech), central supply processing department technician (cspdt), certified registered central service technician (crcst), crcst (certified registered central supply technician).
How to become a sterile processing technician
Full guideTo become a sterile processing technician, you need a high school diploma, a short training course or on-the-job training, and usually the CRCST certification exam from HSPA plus 400 hours of hands-on department experience. Most people are working within 6 to 12 months.
- Typical time
- 6-12 months
- Fastest: About 3 months
- Minimum education
- High school diploma or equivalent; a sterile processing certificate program is common but not required
- License
- Not licensed by states; a few states, including New York, require hospital sterile processing staff to hold a national certification
- Typical training cost
- $275–$4.9K
- See the guide for what it includes
Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a sterile processing technician: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.
Is it worth it? Training cost against pay
Compare careers- Training time
- 6-12 months
- Typical path in our guide
- Training cost
- $275–$4.9K
- Tuition and exam fees, before aid
- Median pay
- $47,700
- $3,280 below the all-jobs median ($50,980)
- Cost vs. one year's pay
- 1–10%
- Training cost as a share of a year at the median
The median for sterile processing technicians is below the median for all US jobs, so the case for training rests on the work itself, entry speed and local pay rather than a pay premium. This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.
Job outlook for sterile processing technicians
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
- Projected growth
- +10.8%
- All occupations +3.5%
- Jobs in 2025
- 79,900
- 88,600 projected for 2035
- Openings each year
- 10,700
- New jobs plus replacements
- Self-employed
- 2.3%
- Not in the pay figures above
BLS projects jobs for medical equipment preparers to grow 10.8% from 2025 to 2035, from 79,900 to 88,600, about three times the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 10,700 openings are expected each year. Growth adds fewer than 900 jobs a year, so most of those openings come from techs who retire, change careers or move into other hospital roles.
BLS does not publish a written outlook for this occupation. Demand for SPD techs follows surgical volume: every operation, whether in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center, sends instruments back to be cleaned and sterilized.
Related careers and their pay
- Surgical Technician$64,650
- Cardiovascular Technologist$74,310
- Phlebotomist$45,230
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Radiology Technician$80,110
- EMT$44,470
Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Sterile Processing Technician salary FAQ
How much do sterile processing technicians make an hour?
The median hourly wage for sterile processing technicians was $22.93 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $17.50 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $33.63. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.
Which state pays sterile processing technicians the most?
California has the highest median pay for sterile processing technicians, $61,370 a year, followed by Washington ($58,830) and Massachusetts ($58,580). After adjusting for each state's price level, California comes out ahead at about $55,428 in national-average dollars.
Do sterile processing technicians make six figures?
Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of sterile processing technicians earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $47,700, and the top 10% earn more than $69,950. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.
Is sterile processing a hard job?
It is physically tiring and detail-heavy rather than academically hard. You stand for a full shift, lift heavy trays, and work in decontamination wearing a gown and face shield in a warm, wet room. The mental load comes from accuracy: a single missing or dirty instrument can delay surgery or harm a patient, so you must learn hundreds of instruments by name and follow every step of the sterilization process every time.
Do sterile processing techs work with patients?
Almost never. The department sits away from patient areas, and your contact is with operating room staff, nurses and surgical technologists rather than patients. That suits people who want a hospital job without bedside care. The tradeoff is that the work is behind the scenes and the pace is set by the surgery schedule, so busy mornings and late-running cases can mean pressure to turn trays around quickly.
What shifts do sterile processing technicians work?
Hospital SPDs run around the clock in most larger facilities, so new techs are often hired onto evening or night shifts, which commonly pay a shift differential. Day shifts tend to go to senior staff. Surgery centers and clinics usually keep daytime hours and close on weekends, which is one reason some techs move there after gaining hospital experience. Expect some holidays and on-call coverage at a hospital.
Sources
Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 31-9093
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
- O*NET 31.0 Database (31-9093.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
- Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) application, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) · checked October 28, 2026
- Technician certification (CSPDT), Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) · checked October 28, 2026
- Sterile Processing Technical Manual, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) · checked October 28, 2026
- Sterile Processing Technical Training course, Purdue University · checked October 28, 2026
- Public Health Law: Rules, Requirements, and Use of Central Service Technicians, New York State Department of Health · checked October 28, 2026
- Certification overview, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) · checked October 28, 2026
- Medical Equipment Preparers (31-9093.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
- Sterile Processing, Houston Community College · checked October 28, 2026
- Recertification, Certification Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD) · checked October 28, 2026
- Renew Your Certification, Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) · checked October 28, 2026
- CRCST Application 2026 (PDF), Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) · checked October 28, 2026
Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.