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Operating room assistant salary
Average operating room assistant salary
$16.43
Average Operating Room Assistant Salary
The average salary for an Operating Room Assistant is approximately $34,177 per year or $16 per hour. This salary can vary significantly depending on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the type of medical facility. For instance, Operating Room Assistants working in metropolitan areas or specialized hospitals tend to earn higher wages compared to those in smaller or rural settings.
How Much Does an Operating Room Assistant Make?
Entry-level positions may start around $28,000 annually, but with experience, salaries can rise significantly. Operating Room Assistants with several years of experience may see salaries exceeding $40,000, especially in high-demand regions or specialized practices. It's essential for job seekers to research local salary trends to make informed career choices.
Where Can an Operating Room Assistant Earn More?
States such as California, New York, and Texas offer some of the highest salaries for Operating Room Assistants. Additionally, facilities that perform a high volume of surgeries often provide competitive compensation packages, including benefits and bonuses.
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Where can an Operating Room Assistant earn more?
Operating room assistant salary estimates from across the web
Average operating room assistant salary by state
The highest-paying states for operating room assistants are Hawaii, California, and Massachusetts. The lowest average operating room assistant salary states are Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for operating room assistants
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $37,595 | $18.07 |
| 2 | Ohio | $36,308 | $17.46 |
| 3 | Indiana | $35,196 | $16.92 |
| 4 | Washington | $37,929 | $18.24 |
| 5 | Oregon | $37,788 | $18.17 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $39,859 | $19.16 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $35,103 | $16.88 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $34,955 | $16.81 |
| 9 | Alaska | $39,790 | $19.13 |
| 10 | Nevada | $38,857 | $18.68 |
| 11 | Maine | $33,271 | $16.00 |
| 12 | Kansas | $34,559 | $16.61 |
| 13 | Iowa | $34,243 | $16.46 |
| 14 | South Dakota | $34,394 | $16.54 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $42,765 | $20.56 |
| 16 | California | $40,702 | $19.57 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $32,751 | $15.75 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $35,719 | $17.17 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $32,295 | $15.53 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $33,855 | $16.28 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $34,752 | $16.71 |
| 22 | New York | $34,684 | $16.68 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $32,792 | $15.77 |
| 24 | Montana | $31,962 | $15.37 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $31,688 | $15.23 |
| 26 | Idaho | $33,707 | $16.21 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $31,366 | $15.08 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $29,864 | $14.36 |
| 29 | Illinois | $33,492 | $16.10 |
| 30 | Colorado | $32,233 | $15.50 |
| 31 | Maryland | $33,660 | $16.18 |
| 32 | Delaware | $33,403 | $16.06 |
| 33 | Vermont | $32,212 | $15.49 |
| 34 | Missouri | $30,072 | $14.46 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $30,692 | $14.76 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $28,243 | $13.58 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $28,812 | $13.85 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $30,010 | $14.43 |
| 39 | Arizona | $29,020 | $13.95 |
| 40 | Utah | $29,299 | $14.09 |
| 41 | Florida | $24,752 | $11.90 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $25,168 | $12.10 |
| 43 | Virginia | $30,079 | $14.46 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $31,292 | $15.04 |
| 45 | Texas | $26,369 | $12.68 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $26,215 | $12.60 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $26,928 | $12.95 |
| 48 | Alabama | $27,317 | $13.13 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $25,091 | $12.06 |
| 50 | Georgia | $25,143 | $12.09 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $24,653 | $11.85 |
Highest paying cities for operating room assistants
The highest-paying cities for operating room assistants are Santa Monica, CA, Anchorage, AK, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Monica, CA | $40,606 | $19.52 |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK | $40,015 | $19.24 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $39,837 | $19.15 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $38,022 | $18.28 |
| 5 | Tualatin, OR | $37,687 | $18.12 |
| 6 | Grand Rapids, MI | $37,626 | $18.09 |
| 7 | South Bend, IN | $36,261 | $17.43 |
| 8 | Livingston, NJ | $35,950 | $17.28 |
| 9 | Cincinnati, OH | $35,097 | $16.87 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $34,566 | $16.62 |
| 11 | Waterloo, IA | $34,522 | $16.60 |
| 12 | Danbury, CT | $33,830 | $16.26 |
| 13 | Mount Prospect, IL | $33,661 | $16.18 |
| 14 | Portland, ME | $33,403 | $16.06 |
| 15 | Waukesha, WI | $32,728 | $15.73 |
| 16 | Broomfield, CO | $32,254 | $15.51 |
| 17 | Oklahoma City, OK | $31,688 | $15.23 |
| 18 | Washington, DC | $31,293 | $15.04 |
| 19 | Bismarck, ND | $30,497 | $14.66 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | $29,273 | $14.07 |
Operating room assistant salary details
An operating room assistant's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $43,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an operating room assistant's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| 75th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
| Average | $34,177 | $2,848 | $16 |
| 25th Percentile | $30,000 | $2,500 | $14 |
| 10th Percentile | $26,000 | $2,167 | $13 |
Highest paying operating room assistant jobs
The highest paying types of operating room assistants are registered nursing assistant, licensed nursing assistant, and medication aide.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRN | $39,642 | $3,304 | $19.06 | 72,309 |
| Hospitality Internship | $30,846 | $2,571 | $14.83 | 50,472 |
| Nurses' Aide | $30,496 | $2,541 | $14.66 | 157,723 |
| Hospital Corpsman | $34,357 | $2,863 | $16.52 | 2,714 |
| Nurse Technician | $33,005 | $2,750 | $15.87 | 195,553 |
| Certified Nurses' Aide | $32,566 | $2,714 | $15.66 | 171,087 |
Top companies hiring operating room assistants now:
Which companies pay operating room assistants the most?
Operating room assistant salaries at University of California, Berkeley and Southcoast Health are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average operating room assistant salary at companies like ALDI USA and University of California are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | $45,495 | $21.87 |
| 2 | Southcoast Health | $44,253 | $21.28 |
| 3 | ALDI USA | $43,536 | $20.93 |
| 4 | University of California | $43,182 | $20.76 |
| 5 | Steel Dynamics | $43,014 | $20.68 |
| 6 | UC Merced | $42,956 | $20.65 |
| 7 | United Natural Foods | $42,728 | $20.54 |
| 8 | Brigham and Women's Hospital | $42,349 | $20.36 |
| 9 | Colgate-Palmolive | $41,730 | $20.06 |
| 10 | Owens Corning | $41,654 | $20.03 |
| 11 | Voith GmbH | $41,236 | $19.82 |
| 12 | Avery Dennison | $41,105 | $19.76 |
| 13 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $41,005 | $19.71 |
| 14 | L3Harris | $40,405 | $19.43 |
| 15 | Boston Medical Center | $40,326 | $19.39 |
| 16 | Beacon Hill Staffing Group | $40,075 | $19.27 |
| 17 | Atmos Energy | $40,000 | $19.23 |
| 18 | Novo Nordisk | $39,763 | $19.12 |
| 19 | Shaw Industries | $39,286 | $18.89 |
| 20 | Syracuse University | $39,093 | $18.79 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Operating room assistant salary trends
The average operating room assistant salary has risen by $5,615 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average operating room assistant earned $28,562 annually, but today, they earn $34,177 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for operating room assistants over the last decade.
Compare operating room assistant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average operating room assistant salary over time
Compare operating room assistant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Operating room assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,200 | $16.43 | +5.0% |
| 2024 | $32,500 | $15.61 | -4.5% |
| 2023 | $33,900 | $16.31 | +3.6% |
| 2022 | $32,700 | $15.73 | +3.4% |
| 2021 | $31,600 | $15.20 | +3.3% |
Recently added operating room assistant salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Health Corporation | Operating Room Assistant | Maywood, IL | 06/29/2025 | $32,891 |
| Rwjbarnabas Health | Operating Room Assistant | Jersey City, NJ | 06/24/2025 | $45,288 |
| Capital Health | Operating Room Assistant-Perioperative-HPW | Hopewell, NJ | 06/17/2025 | $33,392 |
| Legacy Health | Operating Room Assistant | Portland, OR | 06/06/2025 | $40,759 |
| Bassett Healthcare | Operating Room Assistant | Cooperstown, NY | 06/05/2025 | $34,749 |
| UCLA Health | Operating Room Assistant II-Santa Monica Main or | Santa Monica, CA | 06/04/2025 | $46,436 |
| Aurora Health Care | Operating Room Assistant | Porter, WA | 05/27/2025 | $38,610 |
| Trinity Health | Operating Room Assistant | Maywood, IL | 05/25/2025 | $32,891 |
| Nuvance Health | Operating Room Assistant | Danbury, CT | 05/17/2025 | $34,436 |
| Legacy Health | Operating Room Assistant | Portland, OR | 05/04/2025 | $40,759 |
Operating room assistant salary FAQs
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