Surgical Assistants Salary
The median pay for a surgical assistants in El Paso, TX is $94,730/year ($45.54/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $62K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.91), which stretches that salary to about $105,361 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $973/month, or 15.3% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $95K actually covers in El Paso, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by El Paso’s Regional Price Parity (89.91). 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
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What this looks like in El Paso
El Paso sits well above the national pay line for surgical assistants, local pay runs about 42% higher than the U.S. median of $67K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $973/month, 15.6% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.91 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Combined with manageable housing costs, El Paso offers a genuinely strong financial position for surgical assistants at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for surgical assistants in metros near El Paso, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $87K | $84K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $79K | $84K |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $78K | $91K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $93K | $95K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, El Paso, TX
Entry-level surgical assistants (10th percentile) start around $62K. Mid-career wages sit at $95K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $39K 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 annually. We'll email you when El Paso numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a surgical assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in El Paso?
Yes — at the median salary of $95K, rent takes 15.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $973/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for surgical assistants in El Paso?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new surgical assistants typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,335/month. At HUD’s $973/month FMR, rent would take 22% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is surgical assistant a high-paying job in El Paso?
Local pay is 42% above the national median — $95K here vs. $67K nationally.
How does El Paso compare to the national average for surgical assistants?
El Paso pays $95K median vs. the U.S. average of $67K — that’s +42%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.91), the purchasing-power equivalent is $105K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do surgical assistants make in El Paso, TX?
The median is $94,730 a year, that works out to about $46 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,210, and experienced surgical assistants can clear $101,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $95K enough to live in El Paso?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,252/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $973/month, which eats 15.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a surgical assistants salary go in El Paso?
El Paso has a Regional Price Parity of 89.91 (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 $105,361 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.