The median Sterile Processing Technician salary is $25.50 per hour, or $53,040 per year, based on 1,079 job postings across 76 states. Compare pay by location, employer, shift, and contract type.
$25.50
Median hourly
$53,040
Annual salary
$22-$35
Pay range
76
States tracked
Salary guide
A typical Sterile Processing Technician earns $25.50/hr, with most posted roles landing between $23.50 and $29.50/hr.
Recent posted pay is down, with the last 30 days showing -3.8% movement versus the prior period.
Location matters: Seattle, WASHINGTON is currently among the highest-paying cities, while Buffalo, NEW YORK sits near the lower end.
30-day market pulse
Compare the most recent 30 days of job postings against the previous 30 days. Use this as a quick read on whether pay and hiring volume are moving together.
Posted pay
-3.8%
Current median: $25.00/hr
Prior period: $26.00/hr
Job openings
-13.4%
264 recent postings
Previous period: 305 postings
Daily pay signal
$21.00/hr latest
Year-over-year
Building
We are collecting enough historical Sterile Processing Technician postings to show a reliable year-over-year pay comparison.
Pay is moving down in recent listings, falling from $26.00/hr to $25.00/hr.
Pay range
The middle band is usually the most useful offer benchmark. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the broader market floor and ceiling.
Entry / low
$21.50
$44,720/yr
Median
$25.50
$53,040/yr
Top earners
$34.50
$71,760/yr
MARKET TRENDS
Month-over-month median hourly pay and posting volume.
| Month | Median Hourly | Postings |
|---|---|---|
Apr 2026Current | $25.00/hr | 240 |
Mar 2026 | $26.00/hr | 329 |
Feb 2026 | $25.00/hr | 107 |
Jan 2026 | $26.25/hr | 94 |
Dec 2025 | $25.00/hr | 176 |
Nov 2025 | $29.06/hr | 133 |
BY LOCATION
See how pay varies across the country. Ranked by job volume.
9 postings · 2 companies
$23.00
$21-$23
7 postings · 2 companies
$28.00
$24-$30
42 postings · 4 companies
$23.50
$23-$25
Estimated from national data
~$22.02
—
183 postings · 60 companies
$31.00
$29-$38
71 postings · 23 companies
$26.50
$24-$28
9 postings · 5 companies
$29.50
$27-$34
6 postings · 2 companies
$24.50
$24-$25
Estimated from national data
~$24.77
—
18 postings · 8 companies
$22.00
$22-$22
24 postings · 6 companies
$24.00
$23-$25
Estimated from national data
~$25.79
—
Estimated from national data
~$26.26
—
92 postings · 25 companies
$25.00
$23-$26
Estimated from national data
~$23.57
—
Estimated from national data
~$28.41
—
Estimated from national data
~$27.21
—
11 postings · 3 companies
$21.50
$21-$22
6 postings · 2 companies
$23.00
$21-$23
Estimated from national data
~$21.97
—
25 postings · 11 companies
$25.50
$23-$32
44 postings · 15 companies
$26.75
$25-$28
Estimated from national data
~$24.68
—
30 postings · 13 companies
$25.00
$24-$26
Estimated from national data
~$27.19
—
20 postings · 3 companies
$25.00
$25-$27
Estimated from national data
~$26.40
—
Estimated from national data
~$24.98
—
8 postings · 7 companies
$22.00
$22-$23
11 postings · 3 companies
$26.50
$24-$27
43 postings · 18 companies
$26.00
$23-$27
Estimated from national data
~$26.38
—
75 postings · 44 companies
$26.00
$23-$32
32 postings · 5 companies
$24.75
$22-$26
6 postings · 1 companies
$19.75
$20-$20
17 postings · 6 companies
$21.50
$21-$25
Estimated from national data
~$25.23
—
39 postings · 10 companies
$27.50
$26-$30
9 postings · 2 companies
$25.00
$24-$25
Estimated from national data
~$28.76
—
Estimated from national data
~$23.66
—
Estimated from national data
~$21.59
—
5 postings · 4 companies
$25.50
$25-$26
22 postings · 12 companies
$24.00
$23-$25
14 postings · 3 companies
$24.50
$25-$25
Estimated from national data
~$25.04
—
Estimated from national data
~$26.50
—
53 postings · 16 companies
$30.50
$29-$35
Estimated from national data
~$28.27
—
11 postings · 6 companies
$26.00
$25-$28
Estimated from national data
~$21.83
—
Est.Estimated values are based on national averages.
BY CITY
See which cities offer the highest and lowest Sterile Processing Technician salaries.
Seattle
Washington · 19 postings
$32.50/hr
Rochester
New York · 10 postings
$31.00/hr
Los Angeles
California · 22 postings
$30.76/hr
Bellevue
Washington · 11 postings
$30.50/hr
Bend
Oregon · 18 postings
$27.50/hr
Buffalo
New York · 12 postings
$23.00/hr
Concord
North Carolina · 10 postings
$23.00/hr
Chandler
Arizona · 10 postings
$23.00/hr
Phoenix
Arizona · 13 postings
$23.50/hr
Atlanta
Georgia · 13 postings
$24.11/hr
BY EMPLOYER
See which companies pay the most and least for Sterile Processing Technician positions.
Sutter Health
9 postings
$38.00/hr
Keck Medicine Of Usc
5 postings
$35.00/hr
Kaiser Permanente
88 postings
$33.56/hr
Seattle Children's
6 postings
$32.50/hr
Beth Israel Lahey Health
6 postings
$31.00/hr
Sanford Health
7 postings
$19.50/hr
University Hospitals
7 postings
$21.00/hr
University Of Kentucky
13 postings
$21.50/hr
Rochester Regional Health
5 postings
$21.50/hr
Trinity Health
7 postings
$21.50/hr
RELATED POSITIONS
| Job Title | Postings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Sterile Processing Technician | 211 | $25.00/hr |
| Certified Sterile Processing Technician | 43 | $24.00/hr |
| Sterile Processing Technician Ii | 33 | $25.00/hr |
| Sterile Processing Tech | 32 | $24.00/hr |
| Sterile Processing Tech Certified | 25 | $27.50/hr |
| Sterile Processing Technician I | 21 | $22.00/hr |
| Sterile Processing Tech Ii | 20 | $26.50/hr |
| Sterile Processing Tech I Certified | 14 | $26.50/hr |
| Central Sterile Tech/ukhc | 13 | $21.50/hr |
| Sterile Processing Technician Ii Certified | 13 | $41.55/hr |
PAY FACTORS
How shift type, contract length, and employment type impact Sterile Processing Technician salaries.
FAQ
The median Sterile Processing Technician salary is $25.50 per hour, or $53,040 annually. Pay ranges from $21.50/hr (10th percentile) to $34.50/hr (90th percentile) depending on location, experience, and employer.
Based on 1,079 job postings, the highest paying states for Sterile Processing Technicians include California, Washington, Connecticut. Pay rates vary based on cost of living, demand, and state regulations.
There are currently 1,079 Sterile Processing Technician job postings across 76 states, from 302 different healthcare employers.
Sterile Processing Technician pay varies based on geographic location, years of experience, certifications, shift differentials (nights/weekends), employment type (travel vs. staff), facility type, and specialized skills. Travel contracts typically pay higher hourly rates.
Sterile Processing Technician pay is currently trending downward. Over the past 30 days, median hourly rates decreased 3.8%.
Sterile Processing Technician pay varies by specialty and setting. Travel positions typically pay $4.00 to $9.00 more per hour than staff positions. Night shifts and weekend differentials also increase earnings.
Pay varies significantly by location. Top paying cities like Seattle offer $32.50/hr, while lower cost areas may pay around $23.00/hr. However, rural areas often offer signing bonuses and housing stipends to attract talent.
Entry-level Sterile Processing Technicians typically earn around $21.50 to $23.50 per hour ($44,720 to $48,880 annually). With experience, pay increases toward the median of $25.50/hr.
DATA METHOD
Source
Based on 1,079 active postings with listed compensation for Sterile Processing Technician. We prioritize postings with explicit hourly or annual pay and exclude rows without usable compensation signals from salary percentiles.
Range
Percentiles show the spread of posted pay, not a guaranteed offer or take-home pay after taxes. State and city views use available market observations and label estimated values when direct samples are limited.
Freshness
Current dataset window: 2025-11-01 to 2026-04-30. Recent trend cards compare the latest posting window with the prior period so short-term pay movement is separated from the full historical median.
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