Surgical Technologists in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,770
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$9,650
19.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$44,204
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$49,420
Kept after tax
$39,770
Worth in national money
$44,204
State rank
50
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Alabama is among the lower-paying states for surgical technologists. The middle earner takes $49,420, ranking 50 of 51 states — about 23.56% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Surgical technologists ranks 256 among 482 occupations Alabama publishes pay for.
- Here is where Alabama does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $49,420 you keep $39,770, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $44,204 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $50,680, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Alabama ranks 50 of 51 for surgical technologists, with a median of $49,420 — about 23.56% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Position 256 of 482 in Alabama places surgical technologists in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Alabama income tax, retained pay for surgical technologists on $49,420 is $39,770. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $44,204 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $50,680 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Surgical Technologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,490 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $49,420 |
| Top tenth earn over | $64,360 |
| This salary | $49,420 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Alabama | $39,770 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $41,889 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,097 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $46,783 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,327 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Alabama earn less than $49,420. The published range is $36,490 up to $64,360, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $39,770, from $49,420, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 256 of 482 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $44,204 uses one figure for the whole of Alabama. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 482 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 256.
- Reported values are medians; for surgical technologists in Alabama the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $36,490 to $64,360. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $39,770 from $49,420. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 256 of 482 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $44,204, worked from $49,420, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Alabama address, on work sitting at 256 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $36,490 at the bottom tenth to $64,360 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Alabama sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $44,204 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Alabama then takes its own share, leaving $39,770.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,490 to $64,360) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $44,204 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $39,770 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.