Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Sterile processing technician
Medical equipment preparers clean, sterilize, assemble, and track the instruments used in surgery. Every hospital and surgery center runs a sterile processing department, and the work is behind the scenes with regular shifts.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a sterile processing technician makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$47,700
$22.93 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $39,800
- 75th percentile
- $58,570
- 90th percentile
- $69,950
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 83%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- +10.8%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 10,700
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
Hospitals hire entry-level technicians with a high school diploma and train them, and many require the HSPA CRCST certification within a year of hire; the exam needs 400 supervised hours, which the job provides. Short certificate programs exist for people who want the credential first.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Prepare, sterilize, install, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. May perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.
The next step
HSPA CRCST certification (after 400 hours on the job or a certificate program)
- Typical cost
- Exam $125; certificate programs $1,000 to $3,000
- Time to complete
- 4 to 9 months including the required hours
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for medical equipment preparers by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $29.50 | $61,370 | $49,650 to $77,660 | 8,720 |
| Washington | $28.28 | $58,830 | $47,440 to $63,700 | 1,670 |
| Massachusetts | $28.16 | $58,580 | $48,650 to $63,710 | 1,900 |
| New York | $27.56 | $57,320 | $46,890 to $62,250 | 5,190 |
| Delaware | $25.63 | $53,300 | $49,870 to $58,460 | 190 |
| Hawaii | $24.82 | $51,630 | $49,600 to $58,700 | 220 |
| Rhode Island | $24.74 | $51,460 | $47,580 to $59,610 | 190 |
| New Jersey | $24.18 | $50,280 | $48,060 to $60,260 | 2,440 |
| Minnesota | $24.07 | $50,070 | $46,330 to $58,790 | 1,390 |
| Alaska | $24.00 | $49,920 | $48,520 to $61,490 | 220 |
| Vermont | $23.56 | $48,990 | $47,190 to $60,370 | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $23.51 | $48,900 | $45,430 to $58,460 | 380 |
| Oregon | $23.51 | $48,890 | $42,810 to $59,840 | 1,570 |
| Maryland | $23.40 | $48,680 | $40,360 to $57,040 | 1,160 |
| District of Columbia | $23.40 | $48,670 | $46,840 to $60,380 | 310 |
| Wyoming | $23.18 | $48,210 | $40,360 to $56,390 | 120 |
| Illinois | $23.10 | $48,050 | $44,370 to $56,780 | 2,800 |
| Connecticut | $23.07 | $47,980 | $40,320 to $58,950 | 1,060 |
| Utah | $23.07 | $47,980 | $41,800 to $58,040 | 600 |
| Georgia | $23.00 | $47,850 | $40,490 to $58,870 | 1,860 |
| Colorado | $22.93 | $47,700 | $39,520 to $58,260 | 1,950 |
| Wisconsin | $22.87 | $47,570 | $44,350 to $50,160 | 1,380 |
| Tennessee | $22.59 | $46,990 | $37,100 to $55,730 | 1,590 |
| Texas | $22.58 | $46,970 | $38,120 to $58,400 | 4,520 |
| Kentucky | $22.54 | $46,880 | $38,960 to $56,410 | 1,120 |
| Maine | $22.53 | $46,860 | $39,630 to $49,070 | 510 |
| Arizona | $22.50 | $46,790 | $38,380 to $53,540 | 2,320 |
| Nevada | $22.43 | $46,640 | $41,600 to $51,520 | 510 |
| Virginia | $22.40 | $46,580 | $38,890 to $50,600 | 1,840 |
| Idaho | $22.33 | $46,450 | $38,640 to $58,340 | 580 |
| Florida | $22.06 | $45,890 | $38,520 to $50,180 | 5,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $22.03 | $45,820 | $39,710 to $50,040 | 3,450 |
| Michigan | $21.96 | $45,670 | $39,760 to $49,690 | 2,420 |
| Ohio | $21.90 | $45,540 | $38,560 to $49,190 | 3,210 |
| Kansas | $21.77 | $45,280 | $37,240 to $51,610 | 740 |
| Indiana | $21.74 | $45,210 | $38,430 to $48,320 | 1,750 |
| North Carolina | $21.70 | $45,130 | $39,250 to $48,770 | 2,900 |
| West Virginia | $21.55 | $44,830 | $36,820 to $46,490 | 530 |
| Montana | $21.47 | $44,670 | $38,990 to $48,660 | 330 |
| Missouri | $20.91 | $43,480 | $37,720 to $48,110 | 1,970 |
| Oklahoma | $20.89 | $43,460 | $36,790 to $49,590 | 690 |
| South Carolina | $20.44 | $42,510 | $37,120 to $48,720 | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | $20.35 | $42,330 | $38,910 to $47,120 | 480 |
| Nebraska | $19.94 | $41,480 | $38,280 to $48,830 | 550 |
| Iowa | $19.20 | $39,930 | $38,850 to $47,340 | 590 |
| North Dakota | $18.71 | $38,910 | $38,100 to $48,040 | 350 |
| Arkansas | $18.32 | $38,100 | $35,330 to $47,040 | 320 |
| New Mexico | $17.66 | $36,720 | $34,740 to $46,770 | 300 |
| Louisiana | $17.29 | $35,960 | $30,470 to $41,500 | 620 |
| Alabama | $17.21 | $35,800 | $31,920 to $38,600 | 1,000 |
| Mississippi | $16.90 | $35,160 | $31,560 to $40,930 | 350 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a sterile processing technician?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry, and 83% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is HSPA CRCST certification (after 400 hours on the job or a certificate program).
How much does a sterile processing technician make?
The median pay was $47,700 a year ($22.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $39,800 and $58,570, and the top 10 percent earned more than $69,950.
How long does it take to become a sterile processing technician?
4 to 9 months including the required hours. The typical cost is exam $125; certificate programs $1,000 to $3,000.
Is sterile processing technician work growing?
BLS projects employment to grow 10.8% from 2025 to 2035 with about 10,700 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 31-9093.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.