West Virginia is ranked the top state in the country for surgical technicians to live and work by job market research company Zippia.
The 2021 ranking took into account median salary, cost of living and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' location quotient, which measures how concentrated an industry or occupation is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole.
A location quotient of 1.5, for example, means a state has 1.5 times the concentration of surgical technician jobs compared to the national average. A higher location quotient means more jobs are available in that state in a particular industry.
The top 25 states for surgical technicians:
*Asterisk denotes states with certificate of need laws that do not regulate ASCs.
1. West Virginia
- Average annual salary: $55,947
- Location quotient: 1.79
- ASC per (100k) capita: 0.45
- CON law: Yes
2. Alaska
- Average annual salary: $63,655
- Location quotient: 2.98
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.45
- CON law: Yes
3. Connecticut
- Average annual salary: $57,419
- Location quotient: 2.26
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.47
- CON law: Yes
4. Delaware
- Average annual salary: $59,456
- Location quotient: 1.33
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.22
- CON law: Yes
5. Texas
- Average annual salary: $53,610
- Location quotient: 1.99
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.52
- CON law: No
6. Arizona
- Average annual salary: $56,151
- Location quotient: 1.66
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.67
- CON law: No
7. Rhode Island
- Average annual salary: $58,051
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.18
- CON law: Yes
8. Illinois
- Average annual salary: $55,654
- Location quotient: 1.7
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.02
- CON law: Yes
9. California
- Average annual salary: $64,180
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.07
- CON law: No
10. Nevada
- Average annual salary: $57,049
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.58
- CON law: Yes
11. Mississippi
- Average annual salary: $53,828
- Location quotient: 1.59
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.60
- CON law: Yes
12. New Jersey
- Average annual salary: $56,752
- Location quotient: 1.82
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.79
- CON law: Yes*
13. Wisconsin
- Average annual salary: $50,859
- Location quotient: 2.02
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.44
- CON law: No
14. New York
- Average annual salary: $59,342
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 0.73
- CON law: Yes
15. New Hampshire
- Average annual salary: $55,272
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.96
- CON law: No
16. Massachusetts
- Average annual salary: $55,060
- Location quotient: 1.85
- ASC per (100k) capita: 0.77
- CON law: Yes*
17. Washington
- Average annual salary: $57,657
- Location quotient: 1.58
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.43
- CON law: Yes
18. Kentucky
- Average annual salary: $53,290
- Location quotient: 0
- ASC per (100k) capita: 0.78
- CON law: Yes
19. District of Columbia
- Average annual salary: $61,322
- Location quotient: 0.78
- ASC per (100k) capita: 0.44
- CON law: Yes
20. Oregon
- Average annual salary: $55,728
- Location quotient: 1.57
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.12
- CON law: Yes*
21. Missouri
- Average annual salary: $51,011
- Location quotient: 1.86
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.66
- CON law: Yes*
22. Minnesota
- Average annual salary: $52,296
- Location quotient: 1.73
- ASC per (100k) capita: 1.42
- CON law: No
23. Maryland
- Average annual salary: $57,127
- Location quotient: 1.41
- ASC per (100k) capita: 5.54
- CON law: Yes
24. Idaho
- Average annual salary: $52,572
- Location quotient: 1.34
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.99
- CON law: No
25. Colorado
- Average annual salary: $51,695
- Location quotient: 2.27
- ASC per (100k) capita: 2.32
- CON law: No