Sterile processing tech salary by percentile
A sterile processing tech at the national median earns $47,700, and the middle half of the 77,420 workers in the occupation earn $39,800 to $58,570.[onet_spt][oews][oews_api] The take-home column applies 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer.[irs][ssa]
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | Take-home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $36,410 | $17.50 | $31,435 |
| 25th | $39,800 | $19.13 | $34,159 |
| Median (50th) | $47,700 | $22.93 | $40,507 |
| 75th | $58,570 | $28.16 | $49,241 |
| 90th | $69,950 | $33.63 | $58,040 |
*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.
A $55,000 offer sits at about the 67th percentile nationally. Night and weekend differentials and overtime are not part of the BLS straight-time wage, so a shift job can pay more than these figures.[oews_faq]
Central service technician salary: what BLS counts
Central service technician salary and sterile processing technician salary are the same government figure. BLS counts these workers as medical equipment preparers (SOC 31-9093), and O*NET's reported job titles for the group include "Central Sterile Technician", "CRCST (Certified Registered Central Supply Technician)", "Sterile Preparation Technician" and "Central Supply Processing Department Technician (CSPDT)".[sum_spt] The job is to decontaminate, inspect, assemble, package and sterilize the instruments and devices that surgical teams use.[hspa_hb]
Sterile processing techs earn $2,010 more than medical assistants at the median and $16,950 less than surgical technologists, who use the instrument sets that processing departments prepare.[onet_ma][onet_surg] Compare those careers on surgical tech salary and medical assistant salary.
Sterile processing technician hourly pay
Sterile processing technician hourly pay is $22.93 at the median, $17.50 at the 10th percentile and $33.63 at the 90th.[onet_spt] BLS divides annual pay by 2,080 hours to get these rates.[oews_faq]
| Percentile | Hourly | 32 h/week | 36 h/week | 40 h/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $17.50 | $29,128 | $32,769 | $36,410 |
| 25th | $19.13 | $31,840 | $35,820 | $39,800 |
| Median | $22.93 | $38,160 | $42,930 | $47,700 |
| 75th | $28.16 | $46,856 | $52,713 | $58,570 |
| 90th | $33.63 | $55,960 | $62,955 | $69,950 |
Sterile processing salary by state
California pays sterile processing techs the most ($61,370 median), followed by Washington ($58,830) and Massachusetts ($58,580); Mississippi is lowest at $35,160.[onet_spt]
| State | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. California | $61,370 | $29.50 | $43,680 | $85,240 |
| 2. Washington | $58,830 | $28.28 | $41,210 | $79,880 |
| 3. Massachusetts | $58,580 | $28.16 | $40,980 | $77,130 |
| 4. New York | $57,320 | $27.56 | $39,140 | $71,000 |
| 5. Delaware | $53,300 | $25.63 | $47,120 | $63,450 |
| 6. Hawaii | $51,630 | $24.82 | $42,830 | $61,170 |
| 7. Rhode Island | $51,460 | $24.74 | $39,940 | $62,500 |
| 8. New Jersey | $50,280 | $24.17 | $38,050 | $69,570 |
| 9. Minnesota | $50,070 | $24.07 | $40,900 | $61,580 |
| 10. Alaska | $49,920 | $24.00 | $45,750 | $77,590 |
| 11. Vermont | $48,990 | $23.55 | $39,560 | $73,330 |
| 12. New Hampshire | $48,900 | $23.51 | $40,180 | $62,170 |
| 13. Oregon | $48,890 | $23.50 | $35,810 | $63,770 |
| 14. Maryland | $48,680 | $23.40 | $37,440 | $62,820 |
| 15. District of Columbia | $48,670 | $23.40 | $39,190 | $77,820 |
| 16. Wyoming | $48,210 | $23.18 | $37,590 | $60,220 |
| 17. Illinois | $48,050 | $23.10 | $38,280 | $66,390 |
| 18. Connecticut | $47,980 | $23.07 | $38,910 | $62,690 |
| 19. Utah | $47,980 | $23.07 | $39,760 | $64,920 |
| 20. Georgia | $47,850 | $23.00 | $36,660 | $62,960 |
| 21. Colorado | $47,700 | $22.93 | $35,760 | $65,170 |
| 22. Wisconsin | $47,570 | $22.87 | $38,170 | $59,180 |
| 23. Tennessee | $46,990 | $22.59 | $35,090 | $60,360 |
| 24. Texas | $46,970 | $22.58 | $35,390 | $69,950 |
| 25. Kentucky | $46,880 | $22.54 | $35,340 | $60,410 |
| 26. Maine | $46,860 | $22.53 | $38,010 | $59,780 |
| 27. Arizona | $46,790 | $22.50 | $35,290 | $60,760 |
| 28. Nevada | $46,640 | $22.42 | $38,450 | $60,890 |
| 29. Virginia | $46,580 | $22.39 | $37,320 | $61,280 |
| 30. Idaho | $46,450 | $22.33 | $35,600 | $60,350 |
| 31. Florida | $45,890 | $22.06 | $35,630 | $62,000 |
| 32. Pennsylvania | $45,820 | $22.03 | $37,500 | $57,070 |
| 33. Michigan | $45,670 | $21.96 | $37,750 | $58,050 |
| 34. Ohio | $45,540 | $21.89 | $36,620 | $57,870 |
| 35. Kansas | $45,280 | $21.77 | $34,320 | $59,750 |
| 36. Indiana | $45,210 | $21.74 | $35,400 | $60,530 |
| 37. North Carolina | $45,130 | $21.70 | $36,410 | $58,950 |
| 38. West Virginia | $44,830 | $21.55 | $34,690 | $51,970 |
| 39. Montana | $44,670 | $21.48 | $36,810 | $56,770 |
| 40. Missouri | $43,480 | $20.90 | $34,510 | $58,420 |
| 41. Oklahoma | $43,460 | $20.89 | $34,400 | $57,770 |
| 42. South Carolina | $42,510 | $20.44 | $31,840 | $57,910 |
| 43. South Dakota | $42,330 | $20.35 | $31,680 | $54,680 |
| 44. Nebraska | $41,480 | $19.94 | $36,250 | $57,260 |
| 45. Iowa | $39,930 | $19.20 | $37,070 | $52,300 |
| 46. North Dakota | $38,910 | $18.71 | $37,600 | $61,440 |
| 47. Arkansas | $38,100 | $18.32 | $32,490 | $48,530 |
| 48. New Mexico | $36,720 | $17.65 | $31,040 | $56,530 |
| 49. Louisiana | $35,960 | $17.29 | $27,880 | $50,440 |
| 50. Alabama | $35,800 | $17.21 | $30,180 | $45,670 |
| 51. Mississippi | $35,160 | $16.90 | $30,140 | $47,330 |
Highest-paying metro areas for sterile processing techs
The best-paying metro area for medical equipment preparers is Vallejo, CA, at a $82,610 median.[onet_spt]
| Metro area | Median | Hourly | 10th pct. | 90th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Vallejo, CA | $82,610 | $39.72 | $43,480 | $85,380 |
| 2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $82,140 | $39.49 | $57,630 | $95,670 |
| 3. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $81,370 | $39.12 | $38,050 | $85,820 |
| 4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $81,090 | $38.99 | $58,650 | $98,540 |
| 5. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $79,490 | $38.22 | $48,650 | $85,440 |
| 6. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $75,800 | $36.44 | $52,120 | $78,690 |
| 7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $67,830 | $32.61 | $49,160 | $79,540 |
| 8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,870 | $29.75 | $47,180 | $81,240 |
| 9. Redding, CA | $61,840 | $29.73 | $40,000 | $79,270 |
| 10. Barnstable Town, MA | $61,160 | $29.40 | $40,650 | $78,390 |
CRCST certification: cost and requirements
CRCST certification from the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) costs $140 for the exam and requires 400 hours of hands-on work in a sterile processing department.[hspa_hb] You can finish the hours before the exam (full certification) or within 6 months after passing it (provisional certification), on a paid or volunteer basis. A preparation course is optional.
| Item | Rule or amount |
|---|---|
| Exam fee | $140 |
| Exam format | 150 multiple-choice questions (125 scored), 3 hours, computer-based |
| Hands-on hours | 400: decontamination 120, preparing and packaging 120, sterilization and disinfection 120, storage and distribution 24, quality assurance 16 |
| Timing of hours | Before the exam, or within 6 months after it (provisional) |
| Renewal | Every year: 12 CE credits and a $50 fee |
| Current holders | 54,525 CRCSTs as of Dec 31, 2025 |
The renewal fee and CE rule are on HSPA's renewal page, and the holder count is from its certification statistics.[hspa_renew][hspa_stats] Every application includes a $25 non-refundable submission fee.[hspa_hb][hspa_become]
Is sterile processing a good career?
Sterile processing pays close to the other short-training careers on this site, with a lower entry hurdle than most: the CRCST does not require a training program, only the exam and documented hours.[hspa_hb] Use the calculator above for your state, or compare all allied health careers side by side on the allied health careers overview.
Frequently asked questions
How much do sterile processing techs make?
$47,700 a year at the national median (BLS, May 2025); the middle half earn $39,800 to $58,570.
How much do sterile processing techs make an hour?
$22.93 at the median, from $17.50 at the 10th percentile to $33.63 at the 90th.
How much does CRCST certification cost?
The HSPA exam costs $140, and renewal is $50 a year with 12 continuing education credits.
Which state pays sterile processing techs the most?
California ($61,370 median), then Washington and Massachusetts.
Sources
- Local Wages: 31-9093.00 Medical Equipment Preparers (state and metro percentiles)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS national employment and wage series, May 2025 (BLS Public Data API, series OEUN0000000000000
01 and 13) - OEWS Frequently Asked Questions (wage definition; 2,080-hour year)
- Summary Report for 31-9093.00 Medical Equipment Preparers (sample job titles)
- HSPA Certification Handbook (revised January 2026): CRCST exam, 400 hours, renewal
- CRCST Renewal ($50 annual fee)
- Certification Statistics (54,525 current CRCSTs as of Dec 31, 2025)
- Become Certified (CRCST FAQ)
- Local Wages: 31-9092.00 Medical Assistants (state and metro percentiles)
- Local Wages: 29-2055.00 Surgical Technologists (state and metro percentiles)
- IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)
- Contribution and Benefit Base ($184,500 for 2026)