Surgical Assistants Salary
The median pay for a surgical assistants in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX is $93,380/year ($44.89/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $55K at the entry level to $123K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.07), that's roughly $95,218 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,852/month, or 29.6% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $93K get you in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos’s Regional Price Parity (98.07). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About surgical assistants
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos sits well above the national pay line for surgical assistants, local pay runs about 40% higher than the U.S. median of $67K. Rent runs $1,852/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.07) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for surgical assistants in metros near Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $63K | $64K |
| Amarillo | $80K | $87K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $87K | $84K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $79K | $84K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Entry-level surgical assistants (10th percentile) start around $55K. Mid-career wages sit at $93K. Top earners bring in $123K or more, a $68K spread from bottom to top.
Surgical Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Surgical Assistants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $123K | +85% | 90 |
| Arizona | $111K | +66% | N/A |
| Colorado | $107K | +61% | N/A |
| Nevada | $101K | +51% | 230 |
| New Jersey | $91K | +36% | N/A |
| South Carolina | $86K | +28% | 480 |
| Kentucky | $85K | +27% | 480 |
| Tennessee | $82K | +22% | 750 |
| Oregon | $80K | +20% | 220 |
| Illinois | $80K | +20% | 2,300 |
| Virginia | $79K | +18% | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $78K | +17% | 810 |
| New Hampshire | $78K | +16% | 130 |
| Ohio | $77K | +16% | 970 |
| Minnesota | $76K | +14% | 360 |
| Connecticut | $68K | +1% | 320 |
| Montana | $67K | +1% | 100 |
| Iowa | $66K | -1% | 30 |
| Washington | $65K | -2% | 100 |
| Texas | $65K | -3% | 2,840 |
| Florida | $63K | -6% | 1,260 |
| California | $63K | -6% | 1,210 |
| New Mexico | $62K | -7% | 130 |
| Rhode Island | $62K | -7% | N/A |
| Alaska | $61K | -8% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -9% | 240 |
| New York | $60K | -10% | 470 |
| North Carolina | $60K | -10% | 670 |
| Maryland | $58K | -13% | 670 |
| Kansas | $58K | -13% | 180 |
| Indiana | $57K | -15% | 690 |
| Idaho | $56K | -15% | N/A |
| Michigan | $56K | -16% | 560 |
| Massachusetts | $56K | -16% | N/A |
| Hawaii | $54K | -19% | 70 |
| Nebraska | $53K | -20% | 80 |
| West Virginia | $51K | -24% | 280 |
| Mississippi | $51K | -24% | 120 |
| Arkansas | $50K | -26% | 80 |
| Georgia | $50K | -26% | 840 |
| Missouri | $49K | -26% | 510 |
| Utah | $45K | -33% | 290 |
| Alabama | $42K | -38% | 470 |
| Oklahoma | $40K | -40% | 220 |
Showing 1–10 of 44 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track surgical assistants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a surgical assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $93K, rent takes 30% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,852/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for surgical assistants in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new surgical assistants typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,310/month. At HUD’s $1,852/month FMR, rent would take 56% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is surgical assistant a high-paying job in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Local pay is 40% above the national median — $93K here vs. $67K nationally.
How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compare to the national average for surgical assistants?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos pays $93K median vs. the U.S. average of $67K — that’s +40%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $95K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do surgical assistants make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The median is $93,380 a year, that works out to about $45 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $55,160, and experienced surgical assistants can clear $122,770. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $93K enough to live in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,173/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,852/month, which eats 30% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a surgical assistants salary go in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has a Regional Price Parity of 98.07 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median surgical assistants salary is worth about $95,218 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do surgical assistants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.