If you’re researching how much does a surgical tech make in ga, the most useful answer is a realistic range, because pay moves with experience level, facility type, schedule, and your local job market. Statewide wage datasets and employer-reported postings both show that Georgia surgical tech pay can span from entry-level wages to substantially higher earnings for experienced techs working high-acuity service lines or premium schedules.

 

If you’re also weighing how to become a Surgical Technologist, your income potential often improves when you choose a structured education path, complete clinical training, and prepare for certification and hiring requirements. To explore training options in one place, MedicalPrep (a surgical tech institute) can help you compare program pathways, understand admissions steps, and build a plan toward OR readiness.

Georgia surgical tech pay at a glance (what the numbers usually mean)

Before you compare offers, it helps to separate three common “salary” views:

• Statewide occupational wage statistics (median and percentiles): Good for grounded expectations across Georgia.
  • Job-posting and employer-reported estimates: Useful for what employers are advertising right now, but can skew upward with travel/contract listings or specialized roles.
  • Your personal “effective pay”: Base rate + differentials + overtime + call pay + benefits (health insurance, retirement match, tuition support).

A reputable state-by-state table using government wage data lists Georgia’s median surgical technologist pay at $60,880/year, with the bottom 10% around $43,360 and the top 10% around $82,210.
Translated to hourly (assuming ~2,080 hours/year), that’s roughly:

• Bottom 10%: ~$20.85/hour
  • Median: ~$29.27/hour
  • Top 10%: ~$39.52/hour

These figures are useful as an anchor for how much does a surgical tech make in ga, but your offer can land above or below, depending on the factors covered below.

How much does a surgical tech make in ga in 2026? A practical range you can use

Most Georgia candidates will see offers cluster around:

• Entry-level/new grad: commonly near the lower end of the statewide distribution, especially in smaller markets or lower-acuity settings
  • 1–3 years: stronger base rates once you’ve proven speed, sterile technique consistency, and service-line competence
  • Experienced (3–7+ years) and specialty-heavy roles: higher base + differential leverage (trauma, ortho, neuro, CV)
  • Premium schedules and contract/travel: higher hourly, but variable stability and benefits

Job posting aggregates can show higher weekly equivalents, but those often reflect a mix of permanent staff roles and premium-rate listings (shift-heavy, contract, or specialty coverage). For example, one large job-posting aggregator lists weekly pay estimates for “surgical technician” roles in Georgia and updates frequently based on postings.

The right takeaway: use statewide median/percentiles for baseline expectations, and validate your local market with current postings for your metro area and target facility type.

What actually drives surgical tech pay in Georgia

1) Metro vs. non-metro demand

Atlanta and other large metros can offer more openings, more specialized surgical volume, and more weekend/evening coverage, often resulting in stronger overall compensation when differentials and overtime are included. However, competition can also be higher for “day shift / elective” openings.

If you’re benchmarking, compare the same job type (hospital OR vs ASC vs specialty clinic) and the same shift (days vs nights/weekends). Otherwise, salary comparisons become misleading quickly.

2) Facility type: hospital OR vs ambulatory surgery center

In general terms:

• Large hospital systems/trauma centers: more call needs, more complex cases, more differential opportunities
  • Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs): often more predictable schedules; pay can be competitive, but overtime and call pay may be lower simply because coverage needs differ

Neither is “better” universally; it depends on whether you want premium pay potential (often tied to schedule intensity) or predictable hours.

3) Shift differentials, weekend programs, and call

Many surgical techs increase their total compensation less by “getting a huge raise” and more by choosing schedules that pay extra, such as:

• Evenings/nights
  • Weekends
  • Call rotation (where applicable)
  • Holiday coverage
  • Hard-to-staff service lines

If two offers differ by only $1–$2/hour in base pay, the better total package may still be the one with clearer differential structures and realistic overtime availability.

Ready to turn salary research into a real OR career plan? MedicalPrep is a surgical tech institute that helps you compare Surgical Tech Programs, understand admissions and clinical requirements, and prepare for the skills employers expect in Georgia operating rooms. Explore MedicalPrep to choose the right program path and start moving toward stronger pay, better shifts, and long-term growth as a surgical technologist.

4) Experience and “case competence.”

In hiring terms, a tech who can safely handle:

• Efficient room setup and turnover
  • Consistent sterile field management
  • Anticipation of surgeon preferences
  • Counts and documentation discipline
  • Multiple service lines (e.g., general + ortho + OB/GYN) are easier to staff across the schedule and tend to gain leverage faster.

This is where the question of how much does a surgical tech make in ga becomes very personal: two candidates in the same city can see meaningfully different offers depending on case-readiness and versatility.

5) Certification and credentials

Employers vary on whether they require certification at hire, but certification can influence:

• Eligibility for certain postings
  • Internal pay ladders
  • Promotion readiness (lead tech, service-line coordinator, educator tracks)

Even when base pay doesn’t jump immediately, certification can expand your job options, especially in competitive markets.

Georgia wage anchors compared to the national context

Sometimes it helps to sanity-check Georgia expectations against national reporting:

• National OES reporting for surgical technologists shows national wage distributions (useful when comparing relocation options or travel pay).
  • O*NET’s occupation profile also summarizes national median wages and ties them to BLS wage data.

The practical use: national numbers help you judge whether a Georgia offer is “market-aligned” or unusually low/high, then you bring it back to your metro area, facility type, and schedule.

If your main goal is to increase what you can earn, the fastest path is usually to improve what you can do in the OR safely, consistently, and across more case types. That starts with choosing the right training route and clinical exposure.

If you’re comparing Surgical Tech Programs, MedicalPrep can help you evaluate program structure, clinical expectations, and how training aligns to employer requirements, so you’re not guessing your way into (or through) a career change.

What pay can look like by career stage (practical scenarios)

Below are realistic compensation “profiles” that often show up in Georgia markets. These are not promises; use them as negotiation reference points while you verify local postings and facility-specific pay policies.

Scenario A: New grad, day shift, elective-heavy setting

• Base pay near the lower end of Georgia’s statewide range
  • Limited differential opportunities
  • Best for predictable hours and skill-building

Scenario B: 1–3 years, mixed shifts or weekend rotation

• Base increases as you become multi-service-line capable
  • Differential pay begins to matter
  • Total compensation can jump meaningfully if overtime is available and sustainable

Scenario C: Experienced tech, high-acuity services + call

• Base pay can approach the upper half of the range
  • Call pay, late stays, and premium coverage can materially raise annual earnings
  • Burnout risk is real; evaluate schedules honestly

Scenario D: Contract/travel-style listings

• High weekly pay appears in job-posting data, but it may reflect short-term assignments or premium staffing structures
  • Verify: guaranteed hours, cancellation policies, housing/travel stipends, and benefits

How to estimate your “real” pay: a quick checklist

When you receive an offer (or when you’re comparing postings), ask for these specifics:

• Base hourly rate
  • Differential policy (evening/night/weekend)
  • Call requirements and call pay rules
  • Overtime rules (after 8 hours? after 40?)
  • Holiday pay policy
  • Benefits cost (medical premiums, deductible)
  • Retirement match and vesting
  • Tuition reimbursement/certification reimbursement
  • Sign-on bonus structure and repayment terms

This approach gives you a more accurate answer to how much does a surgical tech make in ga than base pay alone, because two “$28/hour” jobs can produce very different annual outcomes once differentials and benefits are accounted for.

Negotiation levers that actually work for surgical techs

If you want to negotiate effectively, keep it operational and specific:

• Ask for credit for directly relevant experience (service lines, call competency, trauma exposure)
  • Tie your request to coverage value (“I can cover ortho and general, and I’m comfortable with late stays and weekend rotation”)
  • Negotiate schedule commitments (e.g., weekend program, fixed nights) if the facility pays higher for hard-to-fill shifts
  • Request a structured review at 90 or 180 days tied to competencies (this is sometimes easier than raising starting pay)

Frequently asked questions

How much does a surgical tech make in ga per hour?

Using statewide wage anchors, Georgia’s median annual pay of $60,880 works out to roughly $29.27/hour (2,080 hours/year). The bottom 10% is roughly $20.85/hour, and the top 10% is roughly $39.52/hour.

Do Atlanta surgical tech jobs pay more?

They can, especially when shift differentials and service-line demand are strong. Still, you should compare like-for-like roles and verify current postings because advertised weekly pay can reflect premium staffing mixes.

Is “surgical technologist” the same as “surgical tech”?

In most hiring contexts, yes—“surgical tech,” “surgical technologist,” and “scrub tech” are commonly used interchangeably, though titles and scope can vary by facility and state policy.

Conclusion

So, how much does a surgical tech make in ga? A grounded statewide view places Georgia’s median pay around $60,880/year (about $29/hour), with typical outcomes ranging from the low $40Ks to the low $80Ks depending on experience, schedule, and role mix.

If you want to move toward the higher end of the pay range, focus on the levers that employers reward: strong sterile technique habits, reliable performance under pressure, multi-service-line competency, and a training pathway that prepares you for real OR expectations. That is also where MedicalPrep can be useful, helping you connect training decisions to job readiness and long-term earning potential.