Career Training Path › Surgical technologist programs › California
Surgical technologist programs in California
California has 27 accredited campuses awarding surgical tech credentials. If you finish and work as a surgical technologist in California, expect to start around $49,140–$64,380 and reach a median of $81,310 with experience; the top quarter earn $99,260 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, California). Graduates of these California programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $43,427 in their first year, against $41,966 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What surgical technologists earn in California
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 11,920 employed in California. National median: $64,650.
Campuses in California, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AnaheimAntiochBakersfieldChula VistaConcordFresnoGlendaleIrwindaleLong BeachLos AngelesNorth HollywoodOntarioRancho CordovaRiversideSacramentoSan BernardinoSan BrunoSan DiegoSan JoseSanta AnaTemeculaWest Covina
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrington College-San Jose | San Jose | for-profit | 31 | $62,675 | $20,000 | 60% | $41,194 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Cordova | Rancho Cordova | for-profit | 40 | $58,157 | $22,250 | 77% | $33,088 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Temecula | Temecula | for-profit | 34 | $58,157 | $22,250 | 82% | $30,114 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Fresno | Fresno | for-profit | 25 | $58,157 | $22,250 | 62% | $31,315 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield | Bakersfield | for-profit | 20 | $58,157 | $22,250 | 58% | $27,534 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Chula Vista | Chula Vista | for-profit | 22 | $53,594 | $26,923 | 63% | $33,209 |
| Concorde Career College-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | for-profit | 13 | $52,542 | $23,555 | 76% | $31,359 |
| Concorde Career College-San Diego | San Diego | for-profit | 25 | $49,183 | $19,859 | 76% | $30,461 |
| American Career College-Ontario | Ontario | for-profit | 84 | $43,471 | $25,240 | 66% | $37,857 |
| Concorde Career College-North Hollywood | North Hollywood | for-profit | 31 | $43,384 | $21,875 | 78% | $28,621 |
| American Career College-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | for-profit | 83 | $43,204 | $23,969 | 75% | $37,270 |
| American Career College-Anaheim | Anaheim | for-profit | 40 | $43,204 | $23,969 | 70% | $35,751 |
| CBD College | Los Angeles | non-profit | 18 | $34,245 | $24,075 | not reported | $28,569 |
| North-West College-West Covina | West Covina | for-profit | 18 | $32,172 | $19,170 | 68% | $34,193 |
| North-West College-Long Beach | Long Beach | for-profit | 32 | $29,611 | $19,511 | 58% | $36,942 |
| North-West College-Anaheim | Anaheim | for-profit | 27 | $29,611 | $19,511 | 60% | $31,922 |
| North-West College-Riverside | Riverside | for-profit | 27 | $29,611 | $19,511 | 72% | $36,572 |
| American College of Healthcare and Technology | Riverside | for-profit | 29 | $28,709 | $19,996 | 66% | $25,460 |
| Glendale Career College | Glendale | for-profit | 48 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $51,802 |
| Premiere Career College | Irwindale | for-profit | 40 | not reported | not reported | 52% | $32,314 |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Public | 33 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| Contra Costa Medical Career College | Antioch | for-profit | 29 | not reported | not reported | 100% | not reported |
| Career Networks Institute | Santa Ana | for-profit | 18 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $52,552 |
| Mt. Diablo Adult Education-Mt. Diablo USD | Concord | Public | 12 | not reported | not reported | 81% | $14,341 |
| Skyline College | San Bruno | Public | 7 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Glendale Career College-North-West College-Bakersfield | Bakersfield | for-profit | 2 | not reported | not reported | 50% | $53,874 |
| Carrington College-Sacramento | Sacramento | for-profit | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $45,593 |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.